WIPAC Monthly July 2018

WIPAC MONTHLYThe Monthly Update from Water Industry Process Automation & Control
www.wipac.org.uk Issue 7/2018- July 2018

In this Issue
WIPAC Monthly is a publication of the Water Industry Process Automation & Control Group. It is produced by the group
manager and WIPAC Monthly Editor, Oliver Grievson. This is a free publication for the benefit of the Water Industry and please
feel free to distribute to any who you may feel benefit. However due to the ongoing costs of WIPAC Monthly a donation web
site has been set up to allow readers to contribute to the running of WIPAC & WIPAC Monthly, For those wishing to donate then
please visit https://www.patreon.com/Wipac all donations will be used solely for the benefit and development of WIPAC.
All enquires about WIPAC Monthly, including those who want to publish news or articles within these pages, should be directed
to the publications editor, Oliver Grievson at olivergrievson@hotmail.com
The picture on the front cover is from the article that is later on in this and originates from the n article about the award winning
CENTAUR project which aims to use sensors and control systems to maximise sewer storage
From the Editor............................................................................................................. 3
Industry News.............................................................................................................
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 plus a report from the SWAN Forum conference in Barcelona.
4 - 11
Water 4.0 & the Wastewater Cycle................................................................................
In this article based upon the recent SWIG workshop on the Developments of Wastewater Instrumentation and
Water 4.0 we investigate the current state of wastewater instrumentation in the Water Industry and how the tech-
nology can be used to progress towards the goal of a Smart Water Industry.
12-13
CENTAUR: Upsizing Sewer Storage................................................................................
The award winning CENTAUR project has the aim of controlling the wastewater network and maximising the use
of the sewer network by using a network of sensors and gates to see when the storage of a sewer can used to store
wastewater within the network.
14-15
High Frequency Monitoring needed to protect UK rivers.............................................
This article talks about the need for more frequent monitoring of phosphorus in the river environment to enable
the improved management of eutrophication in the river environment
16-17
Networking 101............................................................................................................
Remote access to data and control within the wastewater system, the networking and the risks that are involved
are generally poorly understood. This article covers the very basics of networking in the modern water industry
18-19
Workshops, Conferences & Seminars............................................................................
The highlights of the conferences and workshops in the coming months. 20-21

From the Editor
Is it a case in the modern water industry of Education, Education, Education especially where it comes to technology and
the Smart Water Industry. In the UK this month we saw a panel of politicians criticise the much lauded roll-out of Smart
Power meters saying they used out-dated technology that was redundant and didn’t work correctly. The whole
smart meter roll-out can certainly be criticised for not including water meters that is a given but to say the
technology doesn’t work? That’s a bit of a push and in reality sets up what is effectively “the resistance to the effective
use of instrumentation,” whatever the situation it must be better that the predicted bill situation that used to happen
where come the end of the year where an actual meter reading was taken (if you hadn’t submitted the readings yourself)
then you either ended up with a huge amount more to pay or got a whopping great rebate as you paid too much.
The truth be told for the water industry where Smart Meters have been put in they’ve not only saved the customer
money as it ends up the average customer consumes 18% less water it also allows the water company some positives
in the water balance sheet. Its very easy for the politicians to criticise from the side-lines, it is very easy to make the
statement that “we need more innovation,” but where does this all come from. Well the truth is at the heart of it is
Education, Education, Education.
Sitting down on an international conference call this month I was being taught about what a particular system could do and how by doing this or that you
could find out more about your data. The person leading the conversation was not from the water industry but was from the computing industry originally His
colleague on the line was a water industry expert. The key to the conversation is that those on the call had come up with something that was not a widget but
actively addressed some of the industry’s issues and unbeknownst to them some of the future issues that will crop up in the next few years (using my insider
knowledge rather than my crystal ball). The key point here was in seeing a different way of doing things and seeing how the application worked for the water
industry now and in the future. Having the foresight in seeing when something is useful, practical and of course applicable.
This of course goes for the water industry as a whole but in particular the Smart Water Industry. It is very easy to write the whole thing off as a whole bunch
of gimmicks, it is also very easy to write it off as a flash in the pan but the truth is that there is value in the Smart Water Industry from getting the right data
be it for customers or operators to have the information that is needed. An example of this in the UK is down to the unseasonably hot weather with most (if
not all ) of the Water Companies running shifts of people to make sure the customers have all they need to ensure that demand is met everywhere that it
needs to and that the distribution network can cope. To do this a large amount of information is needed almost constantly. This all falls down to the data that
is received from the instruments in the field. Decent integration of this data should make the task that much easier to ensure that all the information that is
needed is at the fingertips of those running the control rooms that keep the UK in water.
Have a good month,
Oliver

The Future of WIPAC - A plan of action and what’s happening at
WWEM
This is the area of WIPAC Monthly that I’ve been putting aside to keep everyone updated on the progress of all things WIPAC and the direction that the group
is taking. This month has been a month where things are starting to take shape and things are starting to come together. There is an action plan with targets
that will be realised over the next few months. So what has been achieved so far?
The first thing is that the WIPAC website is developing well - its something that I am working on myself and being a novice at coding I am learning as I go along
somewhat with some very useful advice from people in the water industry. The structure of the WIPAC Directory is in place and is in a format which is where I
want it to be. Now its a case of getting it looking right, all the buttons in the right place,at least for now until I get feedback from everyone that it should be this
or that way around, and the next stage will be to fill in more content. Once it is 70% complete it needs to go over to Holland where there will be discussions
with the platform that is part of a WIPAC Collaboration. The WIPAC Website will, with all good luck and a lot of hard work, go up in the first week of September.
There is a lot going on at the Water, Wastewater & Environmental Monitoring Conference this year including the Instrumentation Apprentice Competition,
the Flow Forum and the Learning Zone. At this point the aim is to get WIPAC Launched. Before this happens the paperwork officially forming as a Community
Interest Company will need to be submitted and at least some of the Board of Directors will be formed by this point.
To show the direction of WIPAC and to get things down in stone I have put together a WIPAC Brochure which can be accessed here.
The fundamentals of this is that there will be:
Water Company Members - which includes a package of benefits to encourage water company attendance at the WIPAC Workshops and WIPAC Webinars as
well as use of the platform that WIPAC will be collaborating with
Engineering Consultant Members - the package of benefits is similar to the water company members and is again designed to get the companies attending
the WIPAC events
Ordinary Supply Chain Company Members - which includes a package of benefits and opportunities to promote through the WIPAC Website and at WIPAC
events
Upper Tier Supply Chain Company Members - these six companies will have representatives on the Board of Directors and will appoint Directors from the
other categories of membership. There is an attractive package of benefits for these members including hosting a WIPAC Webinar each year, a logo on the front
of each WIPAC Monthly as well as other benefits.
Full details are in the WIPAC Brochure
Other that this the programme of Workshops and Webinars have been set.
None of the workshops have been organised yet and sponsors and speakers for all of the workshops are needed. This will come with time. The Upper Tier
Member webinars are dedicated to the 6 upper tier members and the 4 ordinary member webinars will have three presenting companies and be centred
around subject areas. The Roundtables will be something special throughout the year. Each webinar will be (at least at the moment) limited to 98 members but
will be available afterwards for short time before being transferred to the knowledge management platform.
There is still place for companies with the upper tier membership with two of the six places gone to companies (with two other companies expressing interest)
through the Patreon Platform where ordinary members can also take advantage of company pages on the website when it launches in September before the
official launch of WIPAC at the end of November at WWEM. The Patreon address for WIPAC is https://www.patreon.com/Wipac
Page 4
Industry News

Southern Water working with Google on ‘DataWell’
Southern Water is working with Google and Solidatus as it seeks to transform its data for wider use.
While Southern is already collating and sharing data about drinking water quality and wastewater spillages with regulators, it is now making efforts to gain
new insights.
The company is working with six universities and two colleges to aid research projects and said other water and wastewater companies have also signed up to
the new system, which is called ‘The DataWell’.
Southern said the new approach could help with issues such as leakage, with additional data such as the age of a property, the people who live there and the
condition of an asset taken into account before a validated figure for leakage is produced.
Peter Jackson, chief data officer at Southern Water, said: “It is our aim to produce a standardised data framework to calculate leakage and other issues, which
other water companies can also use.
“Crucially, this will give customers and regulators a consistent and robust set of data across the water industry.”
Jackson said the idea had been inspired by similar global projects, including the California Data Collaborative, which saw a coalition of 20 water companies
come together to share tools and research to guide decisions on water management.
He added: “By having data integrated across water companies, we can work more efficiently – giving us more time to focus on helping our customers, the
environment and wider society.
“The future of data is very bright indeed.”
Royal Haskoning DHV Joins The SWAN Forum
In an effort to promote global sustainable development, Royal Haskoning DHV, a leading, international engineering consultancy and project management firm
has announced its plans to join the Smart Water Networks Forum (SWAN), the leading global hub for the smart water and wastewater sectors.
Cities worldwide face escalating urban challenges in the wake of rapid urbanisation, aging infrastructure, and a changing climate, with these challenges
expected to intensify in the decades to come. Today, city water operators must link with relevant stakeholders and global experts to leverage innovative, digital
solutions to build a resilient future.
A global non-profit, SWAN brings together key players in the water sector to optimise the data processing of water and wastewater networks, making them
smarter, more efficient and sustainable. Likewise, through Aquasuite, Royal HaskoningDHV takes a real-time holistic approach to water management, by
applying Big Data analytics, machine learning algorithms and artificial intelligence to fully optimise, integrate and automate the entire man-made water cycle.
“Having recently attended the SWAN 2018 Conference in Barcelona, we recognise the excellent industry collaboration that SWAN fosters. With Aquasuite
being at the forefront of the water sector for over 20 years, it is a natural fit for us to join and help accelerate the growth of the smart water sector worldwide”,
said Radboud van Kleef, Managing Director Aquasuite at Royal HaskoningDHV.
Commenting on this, Amir Cahn, Executive Director of the SWAN Forum, remarked, “A sustainable water future will rely on data-driven solutions and global
organisations such as Royal HaskoningDHV working directly with water operators to streamline their decision-making, performance management and process
optimisation. We are honoured to have Royal HaskoningDHV, an innovative leader in the smart water space, join our fast growing community.”
Atkins wins digital-led Developer Services contract with
Southern Water
Atkins, a member of the SNC-Lavalin Group, has been appointed to provide Southern Water with enhanced Developer Services using the latest technology
in robotic process automation.
The new service contract – which runs until 2024 – is central to Southern Water’s delivery of Developer Services to its customers. Under the contract, Atkins’
team will be fully integrated with Southern Water, helping to process all developer applications in relation to new connections, adoptions, diversions, new
applications and variations (NAV) and self-lay.
Guy Ledger, client director at SNC-Lavalin’s Atkins business, said:
“With water companies facing greater scrutiny and potential penalties arising from their services to developer customers, our specialist developer services
team has committed to using technology to make a step change in performance, cost and quality. Using digital innovation, we will build on our long-standing
relationship with Southern Water to help them achieve their customer focused outcomes.”
Global professional services and project management company SNC-Lavalin, a major player in the ownership of infrastructure, acquired WS Atkins plc in July
2017.
Page 5

Cloud-based data capture helps Yorkshire Water field workers
The use of a mobile data capture app has helped Yorkshire Water to become more agile and efficient in the way field engineers log details of their work. The
water company has adopted WorkMobile’s mobile data capture app for around 1800 of its employees, after completing a trial of the cloud-based application
with a team of 400 workers.
Previously, field engineers relied on paper-based forms and handheld cameras to capture information on jobs and projects, and were then having to drive at
least five miles back to head office to load their job data into the company portal. Yorkshire Water recognised that it needed a digital solution that would help
to collect and manage essential project information more effectively and also reduce administration costs based on the price of fuel and non-productive wage
costs.
The flexible form designer within the Workmobile app allows users to create mobile forms relevant to the specific job in hand, including site inspections,
health and safety forms and timesheets for all workers on site. Using a digital form to capture the information for these important documents reduces the risk
of data being lost or incorrectly collected.
Job details can be sent to employees in the field and project data can also be captured in real-time, with all information integrated into internal project
management systems. Work can now be completed quickly and recorded more accurately, making for a more efficient network management process.
A Yorkshire Water spokesperson said: “There is an increasing pressure to become more efficient and innovative in order to remain competitive and deliver an
even better customer service. However, with new, emerging technologies, water companies are now gaining the ability to streamline their working practices,
and meet the needs of their customers more effectively.
“Our main challenge was that our previous data capture process was simply not cost-effective and meant that our teams were spending extra hours travelling
back to base to record their job details. We needed a solution that could provide greater efficiency and connectivity, so staff working out in the field could
record and share information in a timely manner.
“With our aim to roll out the WorkMobile application across various departments in the business, we have calculated that this will result in huge cost savings
for us and our customers. The money we save as a result of this switch will help to relieve some of the pressure on our resources and will also help us to
provide a better quality of service to our customers.”
Colin Yates, chief support officer at WorkMobile, said: “With pressure mounting from Ofwat to provide a better quality service through the use of innovation,
water companies are looking for ways to become more agile and efficient so they can work more effectively. The sector is facing a number of challenges,
particularly due to ageing networks that can’t cope with the rising demand for water and the inherent leakage synonymous with older pipes. In order to keep
these networks operational, now is the perfect time for water companies to get smarter and embrace new technologies so they can deal with issues quickly
and successfully.
“It’s great to see that solutions such as ours are helping the water industry to combat its current issues. Yorkshire Water, for example, now has a tool that can
help meet the needs of its workforce, so that work can be quickly recorded by employees and information then sent back to the office. The business has now
seen greater efficiency amongst its workforce, along with huge cost savings. Every water company across the sector should be looking to embrace technology
to achieve similar results in order to create a more sustainable future.”
Southern Water trials smart technology using AI to tackle storm
overflows
Southern Water is trialling smart technology using Artificial Intelligence to protect the environment against
overflows during heavy rainfall. Heavy rain events mean drains and Southern Water’s sewers and wastewa-
ter treatment system sometimes struggle to cope.
In the worst cases, flooding from sewers may occur, in less severe instances a mixture of wastewater and
surface water can overflow from the storage wells at the water company’s waste pumping stations. The
storm overflows are permitted by the Environment Agency under these circumstances and are required to
prevent flooding.
Southern Water is now looking at ways of minimising these overflows by using smart technology to provide
advance warning and reduce the chances of overflows by pumping out the wells to give as much headroom as possible.
The water company is taking part in trials of the StormHarvester system which can reduce the chance of overflows by as much as 80%.
Using artificial intelligence, StormHarvester’s short to medium term rainfall prediction system allows waste networks to take advantage of every litre of capacity
in the system. Action is taken well before it starts raining, enabling the network to adequately prepare for extra run-off and so prevent flooding.
The StormHarvester control centre receives location-specific rainfall predictions from the Met Office or satellite images. The controller receives the alerts and
predictions of rainfall amounts, and also knows the safe operating levels of tanks, wells and chambers. It then automatically starts pumps, and opens and closes
valves.
Paul Kent, Wastewater Strategy Manager at Southern Water said that suitable sites are now being selected ahead of the rainier weather in the autumn.
Page 6

Welsh Water opts for Aquadvanced Energy for real-time
distribution network optimisation
SUEZ has recently been awarded a contract by Welsh Water for the implementation of its Aquadvanced Energy system (formerly known as Derceto’s Aquadapt).
Aquadvanced Energy SUEZ Aquadvanced Energy is a proven real-time optimisation system for pumping, production, and storage optimisation that operates
systems more efficiently and increases service resilience.
The initial phase will cover the water company’s Cardiff and Newport water system in south Wales.
In addition to the financial benefits, Welsh Water is looking to have better overall visibility of decision making in the distribution of water in an ever-complex
environment. The Aquadvanced system will also help to increase operational flexibility and system resilience in order to meet current and future challenges, as
well as positively contribute to a lower environmental footprint.
Matthew Stephenson, Director of Water Utilities at SUEZ’s Water Technologies and Solutions, commented:
“Aquadvanced Energy brings computational power to decision making in the distribution of water. Taking a system approach can lead to significant
environmental and commercial efficiencies and reduce pumping energy bills by around 10-15%. We are very pleased to see that more UK water companies are
looking to optimise their networks with such sophisticated digital solutions.”
Aquadvanced Energy applies a holistic approach over the whole system and determines the optimal solution for delivering and transferring drinking water for
each and every asset in the distribution network.
The software is designed to enhance automation and control by using data collected from the production-distribution system and can be used to automate
control operations. In addition to savings in load shifting, benefits can also include significant system efficiencies such as reduction in water production,
improved water quality and increased system resilience.
Internet Of Water To Tackle Growing Water Risks
Flanders pioneers the internet of Water, a unique intelligent water management system based on a network of connected sensors, that enables a permanent
and real time follow-up of water quality and water quantity. This internet of Water will enable Flanders to tackle the growing threat of water inconvenience,
water scarcity and water pollution. Now, Flanders’ Minister-President Geert Bourgeois has activated a first sensor, close to The Blankaart in Diksmuide.
Overview of water reserves
With the internet of Water, Flanders aims to roll-out a large-scale permanent sensor network that maps the available water reserves and monitors the water
demand at the same time. The network, will feature more than 1,000 small, wireless low power water quality sensors (developed by imec) spread around
Flanders, that will continuously monitor the quality of soil water, groundwater, surface water and purified sewage water, to better align the available water
reserves to the demand. A pilot project was recently launched, starting with the first experiments to examine how measurements can be done accurately, to
explore the technical challenges to guarantee the reliability and scalability of a broad network, and to determine how to visualize the data and make them
available for the public.
Leveraging expertise in Flanders
A number of prominent companies and research institutions leverage their expertise for this project with a large societal interest. The five partners of this
project — VITO, De Watergroep, Aquafin , imec & Vlakwa — have the ambition to turn Flanders into an international front-runner in smart water-
management through the application of innovative digital technologies. The sensors are developed by imec, the world-leading research and innovation hub in
nano-electronics and digital technologies. Marcel Zevenbergen (imec): “After several years of intensive research, imec has succeeded to develop a very small
sensor that can measure, acidity and conductivity, as well as quantify diverse dissolved substances in the water. Until now this required a combination of
different sensors that could cost up to thousands of euros each.”
Piet Seuntjens Innovation Manager at VITO, the Flemish independent research organization in the area of cleantech and sustainable development: “Innovative
self-learning algorithms will process the large amounts of data from the sensors for the permanent and real-time monitoring of water quality and quantity, and
also to feed the models that predict future evolutions. Through the VITO dashboards users will be connected directly to the “Water brain” for optimum use of
available water.”
Permanent follow-up required
The need for a system to follow-up the quality and quantity of water on a large scale became obvious in the last years. Water inconvenience or water
scarcity are issues that almost live permanently in the public opinion today — with the drought of this and last year and the strong thunderstorms of this spring.
Therefore the internet of Water is of big importance to various actors in the water business. “The detailed follow-up of the water system with predictions of
future evolutions will allow us to manage the sewage system more efficiently, so that we can better respond to strong showers and periods of drought” says
Jan Goossens, Managing Director of water treatment company Aquafin. Also for water company De Watergroep this project is of big importance. “An efficient
management of the surface water also guarantees the future water production of our various production centres, while a real-time control of the water quality
can manage our production costs”, explains Hans Goossens, director-general of integral water company De Watergroep.
Page 7

Ease off the pressure to keep leaks in check
With 3,300 mega litres of water lost per day, the UK’s water supply companies face a continuing and expensive problem. Losing 15 to 25 percent of its annual
production of potable water every year is not sustainable and, despite the great success many water companies have had in finding and stopping leaks, there
is always more that can be done.
Part of the challenge is that most pipework leaks remain hidden underground. Where losses stem from relatively small but steady leaks from a joint or fitting,
such leaks can be especially hard to detect, particularly where the installation environment prevents water from rising to the surface. Going unreported, many
thousands of litres of water can be lost before the leak is detected.
A big cause of these ‘background leaks’ is elevated supply pressures. While pressure is high, water is forced out into any existing leaks. New leaks can be
generated at any points of strain such as joints in the pipework. The danger is exacerbated by older pipe work which may have suffered from corrosion and
wear.
The reason for these elevated pressures is that pump capacity is usually selected based on a maximum requirement for flow or head, often with a safety margin
built in and even extra capacity to meet future requirements. Yet normal pumping requirements will be only a fraction of the maximum capacity, and during
low periods of demand it will be even less.
Putting a brake on pressure
Leakage can be reduced significantly by even a small reduction in pressure: a 20 per cent reduction in pressure can reduce leakage rates by up to 50 per cent.
This reduction in pressure is readily achieved using variable speed drives (VSDs). The ability of VSDs to control the speed of motors and thus pumps means
that mains pressure can readily be controlled. Using VSDs, flow rates can be adjusted to ensure that pressure levels are adequate. As modern drives are easy
to operate and making adjustments is not difficult, settings can be approximately altered at installation and then fine-tuned over time. For example, a system
with 5 bar in the day could be automatically reduced to 3 bar at night using the inbuilt control. VSDs can also help to avoid the large variations in pressures
that can lead to leaks in the first place. Switching pumps on and off causes rapid changes in flow. These flow changes are followed by rapid pressure transients,
causing an effect known as water hammer. Water hammer occurs when the flow of water in a pipe is stopped suddenly, causing a shock wave to ripple through
the water and impact on the structure of the pipes, leading to damage.
This can damage pipes, pipes support and valves and causes leaks. As pipework is replaced and leaks are repaired, pressure may build up in other parts of
the system instead, causing new leaks in new locations. VSDs reduce mechanical stress on pipes, pumps, valves and other key equipment, and diminish the
likelihood of water hammer by enabling the flow rate to be increased gradually and safely. Cutting pressure also means reducing pumping energy costs, while
controlling leaks also avoids spending money twice to process and pump extra water.
Leakages cut by half
One company that has been using VSDs to good effect in its fight against leakage is Scottish Water. Since 2006, it has reduced its leakage rates by half.
More recently it has been working with ABB authorised value provider EDC (Scotland) to focus on pumping stations and the effect they can have on leakage
rates. Leaks can occur both upstream and downstream of the stations and were one of the main causes of customer complaints. A project to identify and
intervene in the stations most prone to causing burst pipes has contributed to significant decreases in the number of burst pipe incidents.
The program has prevented 1,000 bursts in three years. For around 100 of the most troublesome sites, the project has seen an 80 per cent reduction in bursts.
Complaints about discolouration and low or intermittent pressure due to leakages have fallen 35 per cent. Installing ABB VSDs to control the pressure has been
a major contributor to the program’s success. Overall, for an investment of £650,000, Scottish Water has so far saved £1.2 million on repairing burst pipes, as
well as £35,000 on energy due to the efficient running of the pump motors by the VSDs. It is projected that savings will rise to a total of £4.5 million by 2021.
The numbers game
It’s clear that the water industry needs to improve leakage rates, but to control flow rates and pressures and thus leaks, we need to measure them. This is
where metering comes in. Using data from night-time flow measurements enables water companies to accurately pinpoint any unexpected continual increases
in water consumption, which might suggest a burst or an undetected leak.
Traditional mechanical meters do not offer the accuracy needed and cannot cope with the low flows seen at night. By contrast, electromagnetic meters offer
improved accuracy over a far superior range of flows. In fact, modern meters could even detect a toilet flushing.
Accurate flow measurement plays a crucial role in Scottish Water’s leakage reduction programme.
To get more information on the pressure transients and the bursts they cause, high-speed data loggers are used to measure the pressure at a radius of one,
three and five kilometres around the site, and 128 data samples a second are taken.
The positioning of the data loggers allows the cause of the burst to be traced to a particular pumping station. If the pipes connected to a pump are experiencing
excessive pressure, EDC surveys the site and makes recommendations to improve its performance.
In instances where pumping stations are already using soft starts, which ramp up the pump speed and hence the pressure gradually, EDC recommends using
an ABB drive solution. With energy costs only going up and environmental concerns rising, highly controllable VSDs and accurate measurement of flow rates
is the route to keeping on top of leaks.
Page 8

Veolia wins City of Bordeaux wastewater treatment and
rainwater management services contract
Bordeaux’s Metropolitan Council has chosen Veolia for its wastewater treatment and rainwater management – the 7-year public service contract will begin
on 1 January, 2019.
It covers the management of 6 waste water treatment plants and networks of 4,200 km, with a total treatment capacity for a population equivalent of 1.15
million inhabitants. Veolia have offered Bordeaux Métropole a new form of governance under the control of the organizing authority. The partnership is
based on a co-construction approach with the service’s current employees.
Citizens can become actors in their environment by joining the various governance bodies that will be set up by Veolia: a consumer services agency and a
service dedicated to professionals. The partnership brings the metropolis’ entire ecosystem together: 65 local actors are associated with it, making water
management a sustainable service on the environmental, economic and social levels.
The renewal of part of the network is provided for under the contract to support the demographic and urban development of the Bordeaux Métropole.
Veolia will also deploy a series of digital services to optimize network management, including:
• New series of connected objects and sensors will provide better control of the networks and monitor discharges into the Garonne river
• Drones will be used to protect the metropolitan area’s heritage
• Data processing employing artificial intelligence will open up new perspectives in the management of wastewater treatment.
• Veolia is also planning to create 8 local community officer positions, which will be offered to people on work schemes. Their job will be
to inform users on a daily basis.
Frédéric Van Heems, Chief Executive Officer of Water in France commented:
“Veolia, as a genuine partner of the City of Bordeaux, is committed to making these sanitation and rainwater management services a real benchmark in the
world of water. This success reflects the dynamism of the new corporate project for our business ‘Osons 20/20!’, which focuses on the key challenges of
human ecology and regional development.”
ABB announces the release of ABB Ability™ Verification for
measurement devices
ABB’s Measurement & Analytics business unit announced the release of its ABB Ability™
Verification for measurement devices software product. This digital solution helps customers
quickly determine the accuracy and other vital parameters of their installed ABB devices to
ensure that they maintain their desired performance levels in the field, and that they continue
to meet mandated regulatory and quality standards. This verification approach increases the
window of time needed between device recalibrations, and helps to maintain optimal device
performance. Regular device verification reduces process downtime, and saves money.
Verification is the inspection and testing of a measurement device to ensure that it is
functioning within a specified measurement accuracy range. This practice is typically used to
meet regulatory and Quality Management System requirements.
Industrial instrumentation is robust, very reliable and designed to operate for many years with
minimal maintenance. In today’s competitive environment, customers are looking for ways to
maximize their profitability. Regular product verifications are one way to ensure that processes
continuously operate at their peak levels.
ABB Ability™ Verification for measurement devices is an extensible application that connects
with field devices over their applicable protocols to provide in-situ verification. It provides PASS
/ FAIL results together with relevant diagnostic information in a series of tests chosen by the
user. It runs these tests on the field device and issues a test certificate as proof of verification.
ABB Ability™ Verification is offered as a free software download for a trial health indication. To access all features of the software, a customer can buy
licenses via its local ABB organizations. With the full version, the user gets access to diagnostic data, value trends and a print-out of standardized verification
reports.
The software can verify ABB’s current electromagnetic flowmeter portfolio, including AquaMaster 4, ProcessMaster 300/500/600, WaterMaster and Vortex/
SwirlMaster product series. More versions of ABB Ability™ Verification for measurement devices will be released later to this year.
Page 9

United Utilities is using artificial intelligence to deliver a flexible approach to energy management, as it increases the capabilities of its assets to deliver
demand response.
The water company is using technology provided by Open Energi to manage electricity demand and generation across its sites to reduce costs, increase
self-generated renewable power use, and provide flexibility to support a more sustainable energy future. The move will cut electricity costs at United Utilities’
sites by 10% a year, which will be used to reduce water bills for customers.
The new project will see 8MW of demand flexibility connected at 8 United Utilities sites over the next 12 months. Open Energi’s Dynamic Demand 2.0 platform
will be managing biogas CHP engines, pumps and motors and optimising total energy demand to deliver electricity bill savings.
UU already generates 21% of its electricity consumption through its own renewable fleet – via solar PV, biogas and hydroelectric – and plans to install a further
30MW by 2020. To make the best use of this clean, low cost power, it needs to be flexible about when and how it uses electricity.
Dynamic Demand 2.0 continuously monitors and manages electricity demand and generation, learning what an optimal strategy looks like and adjusting it
second-by-second according to many different control parameters and signals.
This fully automated technology invisibly shifts United Utilities’ demand so that it consumes more when it is generating high levels of electricity, much less
during expensive peak periods, and also responds to fluctuations on the grid to help balance electricity supply and demand UK-wide.
Wastewater Treatment Works at Chorley and Bolton will be the first sites to go live with the technology. Over the next 12 months, pumps, motors and biogas
CHP engines across 8 sites will be connected to Dynamic Demand 2.0, providing 8MW of flexibility to respond to changes in grid frequency, peak-time network
costs, wholesale and imbalance prices and local constraints, whilst making the most efficient use of their energy.
Open Energi’s ability to coordinate assets in this way and deliver ‘total energy optimisation’ across United Utilities’ sites supports a wider move by the water
firm to provide one central energy service.
Andy Pennick, Energy Manager at United Utilities, said “We are committed to providing safe, cost efficient and sustainable water and wastewater services to
our customers. Behind-the-scenes energy is a pivotal part of our service. By bringing all our energy disciplines together, we can focus on future proofing our
energy strategy and providing low carbon, secure energy at least cost.”
Dynamic Demand 2.0 underpins this strategy, providing powerful insight into asset performance and an adaptable platform that helps United Utilities to
respond quickly and efficiently to changing regulation – which can result in additional costs without careful management – and take advantage of new market
opportunities, whilst also supporting United Utilities’ sustainability strategy.
Pennick added: “As a responsible business we are always striving to reduce our environmental impact and provide a great service. Investing in innovative
technology like this helps us tackle future challenges around climate change with no impact to the service we provide. It will also enable us to continue our
drive to reduce costs which has seen customer bills decline in real terms since 2010.”
Open Energi’s Commercial Director, David Hill, commented: “The UK’s energy system is undergoing a quiet revolution. Renewable uptake has surpassed all
expectations and coal is disappearing from our grid, but we are now faced with the perverse situation where wind is likely to be turned off during summer
months so that gas-fired power stations can be kept online to balance the system.
“Companies like United Utilities are demonstrating that there is an alternative approach. Adopting Dynamic Demand 2.0 is helping them provide vital demand
flexibility and operate in a way that is good for the environment, whilst making considerable savings. It shows how sustainably driven energy decisions can
boost productivity.”
United Utilities uses AI to tap into flexible energy at its sites
Aquarius Spectrum And TaKaDu Announce Partnership
Aquarius Spectrum and TaKaDu are collaborating to provide water utilities with a centralized, cloud-based solution for improved network efficiency, water loss
reduction, and asset management. Based on big data analytics and tailored algorithms, TaKaDu’s Central Event Management solution is being integrated with
Aquarius’s automatic leak detection and monitoring system to detect, monitor, analyze and manage faulty pipes, hidden leaks and other anomalies in the water
network.
Integration between the two systems enables users to receive two independent indications about the same problem in the same area, one from TaKaDu and
one from Aquarius. Using the centralized platform, operational teams can validate, track, prioritize and resolve events more easily, in coordination with other
departments in the organization. The combined solution facilitates follow up action (for repairs etc.) and provides management dashboards, actionable insights
and detailed reports for strategic decisions and budget planning.
Oded Fruchtman, CEO of Aquarius Spectrum, said “As we strive to provide water utilities fast, reliable and accurate location of leaks, combining our
detections and TaKaDu’s event management platform enables customers to validate alerts and significantly accelerate response times.” Fruchtman continued,
“Our collaboration with TaKaDu is in line with our strategy to assist water utilities reduce their non-revenue-water with cutting-edge technologies.”
“The collaboration with Aquarius is an important step in our efforts to integrate TaKaDu with other alerting systems giving customers a one-stop-shop for
effective water management,” said Udi Geismar, VP Customer Success, TaKaDu. “We’ve already successfully implemented a pilot at our joint customer Hagihon
here in Israel, with substantial water savings.”
Aquarius Spectrum was founded by the entrepreneurs David & Bori Solomon in 2009, in the Hutchison-Kinrot technological incubator and is part
of the Hutchison Water Group, which is active in the fields of water and cleantech, supported by CKH Holdings Limited. For more information , visit
www.aquarius-spectrum.com.
Page 10

Utilities have relied on numerous instruments for process control and monitoring for many years. But in today’s world, instrumentation is more crucial than
ever. Most treatment facilities, pump stations, and other system components are automated to some extent. Instrument failure or inaccuracy may result in
serious public health or environmental consequences. Resilient instruments can power through adversity and keep utilities running smoothly.
Instruments are ubiquitous throughout water and wastewater facilities and often taken for granted. It’s surprising what a tough life instruments often have.
Depending on the instrument’s location, external factors can play havoc with its operation. The unit may be installed outdoors, subject to extreme heat, cold,
precipitation, even flooding. Lightning often proves deadly to electronic devices. Sometimes instruments become coated with dust, pollen, or atmospheric
contaminants at the site.
Even indoors, instruments can be subject to heat, cold, vibration, or corrosive atmospheres.
Abnormal Operation
Sometimes instruments must operate outside of their design range. This could be due to design error or unexpected change in onsite conditions.
Incorrect instrument settings, such as programming the wrong range, lead to inaccuracies. Power supply problems result in abnormal operation also.
And there’s always the possibility of a defect in the instrument itself, such as damage that may have occurred during shipping. Improper installation is a
common cause of abnormal operation, especially with flow meters. Meters installed without sufficient straight run of pipe can have serious inaccuracies. Flow
disturbers like valves, bends, or restrictions can create erroneous readings of up to 50 percent. Other problematic installations include connection to improper
voltage or sensors installed in the wrong location.
Insufficient Maintenance
Sadly, some instruments fail or provide inaccurate data due to poor maintenance or none at all. Mechanical meters are especially prone to wear of the
moving parts, and electronic sensors may need replacement or cleaning due to fouling. Lack of calibration or verification is another factor making it tough for
an instrument to do its job. During design or when purchasing a new instrument, plan for challenges the instrument may face. Think about the tough times
this specific instrument may need to endure. Review the system design as a whole, including the control system, output type, data logging, SCADA integration,
and other factors.
Instrument Selection
After determining the potential challenges, find the instrument most capable of handling those issues. Try to choose a technology that can handle 25 to 50
percent more than expected. Look at instruments that operate well at low or high ends of a range, or that can operate at a wide variety of temperatures.
Be sure the instrument has the proper housing for its location. Check to be sure it has the correct electrical rating. Treatment plants are often designed to
meet demands 20 years in the future, so consider that when looking at contingencies. Make sure the installation design provides for optimal instrument
performance. For instance, if a straight run of pipe is recommended before and after a flow meter, the design should reflect that. If the meter is being installed
in existing facilities, check to see which types of meters require less straight pipe. If necessary, find a way to mitigate challenges. If vibration is a problem, the
design may include a way to isolate the instrument from the vibration.
Instrument Configuration
Be sure to understand how the instrument can behave in challenging situations. Most instruments have numerous product features that can be programmed
during installation. Often, many useful attributes are never activated because nobody knows they exist. Understand those features and take advantage of
them. Configure the instrument to behave a certain way in tough conditions. For example, some instruments can be told what to do in the event of a sensor
failure. If the electronics detect a sensor failure, they revert to a predetermined setting. The operator can easily see a problem exists and start correcting the
situation. Instrument diagnostics features can alert an operator to a problem or assign certain control functions for out-of-normal conditions.
After The Storm Passes
So, a problem occurs. An instrument fails. The problem is corrected. What now? First, check all affected parts of the system to make sure everything is back to
normal. Evaluate which diagnostic features were effective or underutilized. What did work or could have been used to meet the challenge? Analyze records
and data logs. What corrective actions or instrument settings, including installation or maintenance activities, could be implemented to overcome future
situations?
Ensuring Instrumentation Resiliency
Part of ensuring resiliency is forecasting tough times, because they will happen.
Just as city planners assess worst-case scenarios, like planning for a 100-year storm, instrumentation design must consider all potential challenges. Instruments
must be selected, installed, and configured to withstand these possible hazards. Select products that have a proven record to handle extremes, even those
unplanned for. Don’t be driven strictly by cost. Quality instrumentation will most often pay for itself by minimizing process interruptions during tough times.
Use your manufacturer’s representatives as technical partners for decision-making. They have vast experience with a wide variety of instrumentation and
detailed knowledge of installation and configuration. Resilient instrumentation performs properly in tough times, providing accurate data for continuous
system operation.
Instrument Resiliency For Tough Times
Page 11

Article:
Water 4.0 and the Wastewater cycle
The Water Industry is in a phase where it wants to get smarter, there have been recent drivers towards a “Digital Water Industry” being driven by political will
but the concept of the Smart Water Industry or Water 4.0 has to be driven from the bottom making sure that the right infrastructure and the right sensors are
in place so that the right data is being collected to drive the informed decision making that is at the centre of Water 4.0.
The recent Sensors for Water Interest Group workshop, hosted by ABB, addressed where we are as per the state of wastewater monitoring and how this can
be used to drive the industry to something approaching Water 4.0.
The first thing to do is to look at the structure and identify what needs monitoring to help the industry deliver a holistic approach to its wastewater operations
and from the customers home to the treatment works there are monitoring solutions that currently exist.
The journey of water and it sources into the collection network is largely unmonitored at present but one of the fundamental challenges is to attempt to
measure what passes through our collection networks each and every do. Apart from customers one of the almost un-monitorable inputs is from rainfall but
technology is certainly moving on in this direction with rainfall radars, advanced rain stations and advanced analytics platforms able to measure the type of
precipitation but with Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning there is the ability to measure the impact on the sewer environment and adapt network
operations to suit.
Once water is in the sewers it has two routes, the first through the gravity system which most people think of when they think of sewers and monitoring of this
system has been virtually impossible in the past and it is only through work that has been led by the University of Sheffield that we are seeing developments in
this area. Work on Free Surface Dynamics, Acoustic Holography and Microwave Sensing have all seen the potential for measuring free-surface flow within the
gravity system allowing us to picture what is going on in the sewer network. The work is still under development but the results so far are promising.
There are developments a little further ahead within the pumped waste-
water network and flow meters are actively being installed at the current
time but there is also experimental work happening in collaboration within
the Water Companies. Lorenzo Pompa of Anglian Water and Mark Hendy
of Syrinix are specifically looking at what can be done with pressure mon-
itoring. It’s a technique that has been used for many years in the water
distribution network but is never really used in the wastewater collection
network. Centred around Anglian Water’s Shop Window the work is ongo-
ing to see if high frequency pressure monitoring on the rising mains to the
wastewater treatment works can be used to predict mains failure, prefer-
able in advance so that damage to the infrastructure can be limited and
pollution events avoided. In the case study presented a slow failure of the
rising main was shown which cause a large crack to develop in the 600mm
rising main that cause a failure of the pipe. Luckily the monitoring in place
and was used to avert a pollution event aptly demonstrating the usefulness
of the technique.
Characterisation of the collection network is the first step towards Water
4.0 and control of the network leads to overall improvements in the water
environment but with sensors at the heart of Water 4.0 we have to ensure
that the data that is received is correct or the analytics engines that will
take the data will produce information based upon false assumptions. It is
only with good quality data that there are the possibilities of optimising the
processes that are within the wastewater system as a whole (Figure 2)
It is with the basics of clogging, poor installation, fouling, lack of calibration
and the challenge of managing the up-time of instrumentation that is one
of the challenges to the industry in Water 4.0. It is something that is being
actively worked upon by instrument manufacturers trying to limit mainte-
nance requirements, install cleaning system and provide instrumentation
installation advice that the companies are trying to eliminate the major
sources of error. The next step is helping the companies with their Calibra-
tion & Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS) and ensuring that what
is in place is recording accurately.
The online and laboratory instrumentation manufacturer, Hach, have gone one step further with their Claros system which in part has the ability to tie labo-
ratory and site together making sure that the reading at time of sampling is correct. The Claros system as a whole is there to support the instrumentation life
cycle from mobile sensor management to predictive diagnostics and onwards to onsite visualisation and display helping operators to understand the operation
of the wastewater treatment works on a holistic basis rather than element by element. Looking at the holistic approach allows the improved management of
the works and the potential for the installation of real time control systems.
Figure 1: Slow failure of a rising main in pressure and physically
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It is the control system element on the treatment works that is vital and whether you look at instrument-based process control or holistic management via mul-
ti-variate process control some of the challenges have always been sensor based and how the cope in a harsh environment. Some of the challenging aspects of
measurement have always been organic load/Biochemical Oxygen Demand and the actual performance of secondary treatment where Activated Sludge Plants
are the secondary treatment process. It has been a case of designing the concrete box correctly and letting the biology look after itself to a certain extent. Tech-
nology has move on and where fifty years ago the use of respirometry was experimental at best it is now actively being used as part of a multi-parameter acti-
vated sludge plant control system. This allows the more efficient operation of this part of the wastewater cycle. Couple this with final effluent BOD monitoring
and it is possible for the treatment part of the wastewater cycle to be finely tuned to maximise the treatment whilst also maximising the efficiency.
The instrumentation level is one of the key fundamentals of Water 4.0 and there is a need to ensure that this level is producing good quality data for the more
advanced techniques that are starting to appear in the Water Industry. If we, as an industry, want to make a success of Water 4.0 then it is at the instrumenta-
tion level that it starts, by ensuring the quality of the data is correct then this can lead to a future in the Water Industry with a huge potential to maximise the
efficiency of our operations. The flip side of course is that the data is wrong and so the assumptions based on the data are also wrong and then the industry
faces a future where we have a “resistance to the effective use of instrumentation” and are stuck in a cycle where technology “doesn’t work” and the future
becomes a lot more bleak as the pressures demanding greater and great efficiency start to bite.
Figure 2: The importance of sensor/data management within the digital stack
Progress on new artificial intelligence (AI) technology could make monitoring at water treatment plants cheaper and easier and help safeguard public health.
Researchers at the University of Waterloo have developed AI software capable of identifying and quantifying different kinds of cyanobacteria, or blue-green
algae, a threat to shut down water systems when it suddenly proliferates.
“We need to protect our water supplies,” said Monica Emelko, a professor of civil and environmental engineering and member of the Water Institute at Water-
loo. “This tool will arm us with a sentinel system, a more rapid indication when they are threatened.
“The exciting piece is that we’ve shown testing utilizing AI can be done quickly and well. Now it’s time to work through all the possible scenarios and optimize
the technology.”
The operational AI system uses software in combination with a microscope to inexpensively and automatically analyze water samples for algae cells in about one
to two hours, including confirmation of results by a human analyst. Current testing methods, which typically involve sending samples to labs for manual analysis
by technicians, take one to two days. Some automated systems already exist as well, but they require extremely expensive equipment and supplies. According to
Emelko and collaborator Alexander Wong, a systems design engineering professor at Waterloo, the AI system would provide an early warning of problems since
testing could be done much more quickly and frequently. Moving forward, the goal is an AI system to continuously monitor water flowing through a microscope
for a wide range of contaminants and micro-organisms.
“This brings our research into a high-impact area,” said Wong. “Helping to ensure safe water through widespread deployment of this technology would be one
of the great ways to really make AI count.” The researchers estimate it may take two to three years to refine a fully commercial sample testing system for use
in labs or in-house at treatment plants. The technology to provide continuous monitoring could be three to four years away. “It’s critical to have running water,
even if we have to boil it, for basic hygiene,” said Monica Emelko, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Waterloo. “If you don’t have running
water, people start to get sick.”
Adjunct engineering professor Chao Jin, doctoral student Jason Deglint and research associate Maria Mesquita are also collaborators. A study on the research,
Quantification of cyanobacterial cells via a novel imaging-driven technique with an integrated fluorescence signature, was recently published in the journal
Scientific Reports.
AI Technology Could Help Protect Water Supplies
Page 13

Article:
CENTAUR: Upsizing sewer storage
As many sewer networks around the world struggle to
cope in the face of extreme rainfall events, the need
for new solutions is becoming increasingly urgent, with
traditional means of expanding storage capacity not only
costly but also space-intensive.
CENTAUR promises to help provide answers. The system,
named Most Innovative New Technology of the Year at
the 2018 Water Industry Awards, boosts capacity within
the sewer network through ‘virtual storage’, using a gate
to control the flow.
“The objective is to utilise the storage capacity
that already exists within a wastewater network,”
Environmental Monitoring Solutions Ltd. (EMS) business
development director Dr Kieran Williams says. “We’re
trying to be much smarter in the way we use the existing
infrastructure.”
EMS is one of seven project partners on CENTAUR, along
with the University of Sheffield, University of Coimbra,
EAWAG (the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science
and Technology), Águas de Coimbra, Veolia and gate
manufacturer Steinhardt GmbH.
Described as an intelligent autonomous system for local
flood risk reduction, the CENTAUR system was developed
under a €3.5 million EU Research and Innovation grant
for Horizon 2020.
It involves the installation of transducers at key points within the sewer network to monitor water levels and communicate that information to modules, which
are placed on lampposts or in manholes, over a proprietary radio protocol. The modules then communicate with a central hub, which uses Fuzzy Logic-based
artificial intelligence (AI) to control when and to what extent a gate installed within the network should allow water to pass through.
“As the level increases at the area you’re trying to protect, the gate will modulate further upstream to start utilising the storage available further up the
network,” Dr Williams says.
The system relies on the proprietary radio protocol for communications because, Dr Williams says, GSM – the mobile phone network – is “just not reliable
enough for the communication of data and to make these decisions”. Although CENTAUR does use the mobile phone network to connect to the hub to view the
performance of the system through an online dashboard, the system would continue to operate if the GSM connection failed.
“The communication and control element is completely autonomous,” he says.
The AI has been designed to react to events as they happen rather than attempting to anticipate likely scenarios.
“We’re not predicting anything,” he says. “We’re not using big datasets for how the system has performed previously and behaved for different precipitation
events. We’re not using that approach at all.
“As the network changes – if you add more paved areas, for example, or you’ve changed the hydraulic interaction within the network – the system will adapt
because it’s only looking at how the system is performing at that time. It’s got a lot of headroom and will continue to adapt just because of the very nature of
how it operates.”
Two deployments are underway in Portugal and France. The first began in September in Coimbra, the former capital of Portugal, where it has been serving to
protect a UNESCO World Heritage site.
“The target – the area we’re trying to protect – is a square in the centre of Coimbra which has a church where the first two kings of Portugal are buried,”
Dr Williams adds. “The sewer storage is approximately a kilometre-and-a-half upstream. What we’re doing is using the headroom that’s available there to
manage the flood risk.” CENTAUR has controlled flows flawlessly for over 60 storms to date and reduced levels at the target site by around 30 per cent. For
areas such as Coimbra in which there is a specific area to be protected, there is the potential to add multiple gates in suitable areas of the network to create a
cumulative effect.
Dr Williams also says CENTAUR should be used in conjunction with other flood mitigation measures, such as sustainable drainage systems, to maximise benefits.
Page 14

“If we can stop getting the water into the network in the first place, that’s ideal,” he says. “Once it’s in the network, it’s about managing it in a much smarter way.
It’s not meant to be used in isolation, it’s meant to complementary.
“If you had to build inline storage, for example, maybe you’d need half the size of the storage tank that you’d originally intended because you can complement
it with SuDS and CENTAUR.”
With the three-year Horizon 2020 project concluding in September, EMS is now taking the product to market. Dr Williams says there has been interest from
countries including Mexico, China, Chile, Australia and Canada, while sewerage undertakers in the US have been particularly keen due to the Environmental
Protection Agency’s demands on cutting spills from combined sewer overflows.
“For large storm events, you are limited as to what you can do about it, but a lot of CSOs spill on relatively small storm events,” he says. “If you can keep the flow
in the network as much as possible, obviously you’re having a direct impact on mitigating pollution.”
Dr Williams also said they are at an advanced stage in negotiations with a number of the UK water companies – little surprise given that the Water Industry
Awards judges said CENTAUR is “just the sort of thing that the water industry needs to be using if it wants to improve performance in AMP7”.
“It was absolutely great to win the award,” he says. “The competition was really tough – we were up against global water utilities. The fact it’s been recognised
is really fantastic.”
Utilities use cost-cutting software to facilitate ‘talk’ between
Internet-enabled digital devices
An EU and industry-funded project has built ground-breaking software that automates communication between Internet-enabled digital devices, potentially
cutting engineering costs by up to 75 % or more. The software is already in use across Europe, saving consumers money and benefiting the environment.
Internet-enabled devices can ‘talk’ to other devices – for example, sensors in a home can tell a heating system which rooms to warm up according to where
people are. However, the process of communication is not automatic and 65 to 80 % of the costs of building any digital system are spent on constructing
individual communication systems.
The aim of the ARROWHEAD project has been to enable collaborative automation via networked embedded devices. Getting devices to ‘talk’ to each other
autonomously – thereby dramatically reducing communication systems engineering costs and boosting competitiveness – is a challenge faced by many
software developers. The EU, participating states and industry-funded ARROWHEAD project is one of the few in the world that has automated such
communication.
In some cities across Scandinavia, including Stockholm and Gothenburg, ARROWHEAD software is helping energy utilities cut their primary power consumption
by improving communication with digital heating systems.
The technology allows the utilities to have better control over consumption at peak times – early morning and early evening – which means that they do not
have to switch to more expensive fossil fuels to meet the spikes in demand. This also cuts costs passed on to the consumer and limits the use of fossil fuels,
benefiting the environment.
In another project, also in place in Scandinavian cities, waste-sorting companies are integrating ARROWHEAD technology in their container parks and
solid waste trucks, allowing them to ‘talk’ to each other. The system can help reduce the distance trucks drive – and the amount of fuel they consume – by
communicating in advance which containers are full and which still have space. ARROWHEAD software is also being used in Finland, Hungary and Italy to help
electric vehicles communicate with charging stations. With the software, vehicles automatically know where they can recharge their batteries. An Italian
airport has also installed ARROWHEAD technology to help improve airport logistics.
“We have experienced a very strong interest in our software. Today, other EU projects are using our technology and building it into new systems,” Jerker Delsing
continued.
” Meanwhile, big companies and projects – including smart cities projects – are keen to know what ARROWHEAD technology can do for them.”
Delsing was also keen to point out that ARROWHEAD took security concerns – and the potential for hacking – very seriously from day one.
“ARROWHEAD has robust identification security that will prevent any data from leaking to competitors,” he says. “The strong market interest in our product
reflects the high level of in-built security.”
With almost 80 partners and a budget of €68 million, which included an EU contribution of around €11 million, the project is the largest research project in
automation in Europe.
Industry giants took part in €68 million manufacturing, process & energy focussed project
Industry giants such as Schneider, Metso, Thales, Acciona, SKF and Honeywell were among the partners in the Arrowhead project, which ran from March 2013
to February 2017. The project’s focus is on manufacturing, process and energy industries with the aim of finding methods to enable collaborative automation
by networked embedded devices. Today, advanced design and extensive engineering resources are required when a large number of devices are linked
together for automation purposes. Greater synergy between devices is expected to make production flows more effective and at the same time reduce energy
consumption and environmental footprint.
Page 15

The science behind nutrient pollution in rivers is still poorly understood despite the fact that
nitrate and phosphate concentrations in the UK’s rivers are mostly unacceptable, although an
element of uncertainty exists about what an acceptable level actually is. Key to improving our
understanding of the sources and impacts of nutrient pollution is high-resolution monitor-
ing across a broad spectrum of river types. In the following article, Nigel Grimsley from OTT
Hydrometry will describe relatively new technologies that have overcome traditional barriers
to the continuous monitoring of phosphate and nitrate.
Background
Phosphates and nitrates occur naturally in the environment, and are essential nutrients that
support the growth of aquatic organisms. However, water resources are under constant
pressure from both point and diffuse sources of nutrients. Under certain conditions, such as
warm, sunny weather and slow moving water, elevated nutrient concentrations can
promote the growth of nuisance phytoplankton causing algal blooms (eutrophication). These
blooms can dramatically affect aquatic ecology in a number of ways. High densities of algal
biomass within the water column, or, in extreme cases, blankets of algae on the water surface,
prevent light from reaching submerged plants. Also, some algae, and the bacteria that feed on
decaying algae, produce toxins. In combination, these two effects can lower dissolved oxygen
levels and potentially kill fish and other organisms. In consequence , aquatic ecology is
damaged and the water becomes unsuitable for human recreation and more expensive to
treat for drinking purposes.
In its State of the Environment report, February 2018, the Environment Agency said: “Unacceptable levels of phosphorus in over half of English rivers, usually
due to sewage effluent and pollution from farm land, chokes wildlife as algal blooms use up their oxygen. Groundwater quality is currently deteriorating. This
vital source of drinking water is often heavily polluted with nitrates, mainly from agriculture.”
Good Ecological Status
The EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) requires the UK to achieve ‘good status’ of all water bodies (including rivers, streams, lakes, estuaries, coastal waters
and groundwater) by 2015. However, only 36% of water bodies were classified as ‘good’ or better in 2012. In the UK, nutrient water quality standards are set
by DEFRA, so for example, phosphorus water quality standards have been set, and vary according to the alkalinity and height above mean sea level of the river.
Interestingly, the standards were initially set in 2009, but in 75% of rivers with clear ecological impacts of nutrient enrichment, the existing standards produced
phosphorus classifications of good or even high status, so the phosphorus standards were lowered.
Highlighting the need for better understanding of the relationships between nutrients and ecological status, Dr Mike Bowes from the Centre for Ecology &
Hydrology has published research, with others, in which the effects of varying soluble reactive phosphate (SRP) concentrations on periphyton growth rate
(mixture of algae and microbes that typically cover submerged surfaces) where determined in 9 different rivers from around the UK. In all of these experiments,
signiﬁcantly increasing SRP concentrations in the river water for sustained periods (usually c. 9 days) did not increase periphyton growth rate or biomass. This
indicates that in most UK rivers, phosphorus concentrations are in excess, and therefore the process of eutrophication (typiﬁed by excessive algal blooms and
loss of macrophytes – aquatic plants) is not necessarily caused by intermittent increases in SRP.
Clearly, more research is necessary to more fully understand the effects of nutrient enrichment, and the causes of algal blooms.
Upstream Challenge
Headwater streams represent more than 70% of the streams and rivers in Britain, however, because of their number, location and the lack of regulatory
requirement for continuous monitoring, headwater streams are rarely monitored for nutrient status. Traditional monitoring of upland streams has relied on
either manual sampling or the collection of samples from automatic samplers. Nevertheless, research has shown that upland streams are less impaired by
nutrient pollution than lowland rivers, but because of their size and limited dilution capacity they are more susceptible to nutrient impairment.
Monitoring Technology
Sampling for laboratory analysis can be a costly and time-consuming activity, particularly at upland streams in remote locations with difficult access. In
addition, spot sampling reveals nutrient levels at a specific moment in time, and therefore risks missing concentration spikes. Continuous monitoring is
therefore generally preferred, but in the past this has been difficult to achieve with the technology available because of its requirement for frequent
re-calibration and mains power.
High resolution SRP monitoring has been made possible in almost any location with the launch by OTT Hydromet of the ‘HydroCycle PO4’ which is a
battery-powered wet chemistry analyser for the continuous analysis of SRP. Typically, the HydroCycle PO4 is deployed into the river for monitoring purposes,
but recent work by the Environment Agency has deployed it in a flow-through chamber for measuring extracted water.
The HydroCycle PO4 methodology is based on US EPA standard methods, employing pre-mixed, colour coded cartridges for simple reagent replacement in the
field. Weighing less than 8kg fully loaded with reagents, it is quick and easy to deploy, even in remote locations. The instrument has an internal data logger
Article:
High Frequency Monitoring Needed
To Protect UK Rivers
Page 16

with 1 GB capacity, and in combination with telemetry, it provides operators with near real-time access to monitoring data for SRP.
The quality of the instrument’s data is underpinned by QA/QC processing in conjunction with an on-board NIST standard, delivering scientifically defensible
results. Engineered to take measurements at high oxygen saturation, and with a large surface area filter for enhanced performance during sediment events,
the instrument employs advanced fluidics, that are resistant to the bubbles that can plague wet chemistry sensors.
Environment Agency Application
The National Laboratory Service Instrumentation team (NLSI) provides support to all high resolution water quality monitoring activities undertaken across
the Agency, underpinning the EA’s statutory responsibilities such as the WFD, the Urban Waste Water Directive and Statutory Surface Water Monitoring
Programmes. It also makes a significant contribution to partnership projects such as Demonstration Test Catchments and Catchments Sensitive Farming.
Technical Lead Matt Loewenthal says: “We provide the Agency and commercial clients with monitoring systems and associated equipment to meet their
precise needs. This includes, of course, nutrient monitoring, which is a major interest for everyone involved with water resources.”
Matt’s team has developed water quality monitoring systems that deliver high resolution remote monitoring with equipment that is quick and easy to deploy.
There are two main options. The ‘green box’ is a fully instrumented cabinet that can be installed adjacent to a water resource, drawing water and passing it
though a flow-through container with sensors for parameters such as Temperature Dissolved Oxygen, Ammonium, Turbidity, Conductivity pH and Chlorophyll
a. Each system is fitted with telemetry so that real-time data is made instantly available to users on the cloud.
Conscious of the need to better understand the role of P in rivers, Matt’s team has integrated a HydroCycle PO4 into its monitoring systems as a development
project. Matt says: “It’s currently the only system that can be integrated with all of our remote monitoring systems. Because it’s portable, and runs on 12 volts,
it has been relatively easy to integrate into our modular monitoring and telemetry systems.
“The HydroCycle PO4 measures SRP so if we need to monitor other forms of P, we will use an auto sampler or deploy a mains-powered monitor. However,
monitoring SRP is important because this is the form of P that is most readily available to algae and plants.”
Explaining the advantages of high resolution P monitoring, Matt refers to a deployment on the River Dore. “The data shows background levels of 300 µg P/l,
rising to 600 µg P/l following heavy rain, indicating high levels of P in run-off.
Nitrate
Similar to phosphates, excessive nitrate levels can have a significant impact on water quality. In addition, nitrates are highly mobile and can contaminate
groundwater, with serious consequences for wells and drinking water treatment. Nitrate concentrations are therefore of major interest to the EA, but
traditional monitoring technology has proved inadequate for long-term monitoring because of a frequent recalibration requirement. To address this need,
which exists globally , OTT Hydromet developed the SUNA V2, which is an optical nitrate sensor, providing high levels of accuracy and precision in both
freshwater and seawater.
The NLSI has evaluated the SUNA V2 in well water and Matt says: “It performed well – we took grab samples for laboratory analysis and the SUNA data
matched the lab data perfectly. We are therefore excited about the opportunity this presents to measure nitrate continuously, because this will inform our
understanding of nitrate pollution and its sources, as well as the relationship between groundwater and surface water.”
Summary
The new capability for high-resolution monitoring of nutrients such as phosphorus will enable improved understanding of its effects on ecological status, and
in turn will inform decisions on what acceptable P concentrations will be for individual rivers. This is vitally important because the cost of removing P from
wastewater can be high, so the requirements and discharge limits that are placed on industrial and wastewater companies need to be science based and sup-
ported by reliable data. Similarly, nitrate pollution from fertilizer runoff, industrial activities and wastewater discharge, has been difficult to monitor effectively
in the past because of the technology limitations. So, as improved monitoring equipment is developed, it will be possible to better understand the sources and
effects, and thereby implement effective prevention and mitigation strategies.
WWEM Launches details of a stunning conference programme
Most conferences & exhibitions are strong in one aspect of their offering with a very strong conference, excellent Business to Business Meetings or a very
strong exhibition. There are a few conferences out there that can boast that they are strong in all of these aspects, WWEM is one of the offerings that could
do in the past but looking at this year’s programme attendees are in for something very special.
Everyone knows the close connection between both WIPAC and SWIG with offerings such as the WWEM Instrumentation Apprentice Competition, the Early
Career Researcher’s poster competition, the SWIG Conference and the WIPAC Flow Forum. New to this year is of course the WIPAC Learning Zone as well. If
this wasn’t enough there is a huge amount more at this year’s WWEM that is sure to attract attendees from around the world.
The Standing Committee of Analysts (the guys who wrote all the UK laboratory methods) are holding a conference too and top of these there is another
analytical conference that includes discussions on the rapid detection of BOD (yes faster than 5 days), online VOCs, micro-fludic sensors and measurement of
FOG using NMR amongst other techniques under discussion. On top of this the SWAN Forum is holding a workshop on the challenges that the Smart Water
Industry is facing as well as the solutions to overcome these challenges.
On top of all this there is a workshop on Profibus and also a whole other conference on Air Quality & Emissions too. Anyone who is anyone in the global
instrumentation market will be there and to boot there is a secret announcement that is being saved for the first day of the conference.....be there to find out.
Page 17

For decades now, the ubiquity of the internet has been essential to modern life. Services like email, Google, and Amazon have connected us to the each other,
the vast collective knowledge of humankind, and brought whatever we desire to our doorsteps with just a few motions of our fingers. Like any widely adopted
technology, the internet’s popularity relies on the principle that users need not know how it works, only that it does work. That said, as we think about what
role emerging network technologies can play in our daily business, more specifically in an industrial capacity, a high level understanding of the basics can not
only simplify our work, but also stimulate our imagination of what is possible.
In the first article of our series on the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), we gave an overview of the IIoT space, and addressed the factors that are driving its
growth. Namely, opportunities for control and analytics can provide us greater efficiency in maintaining assets, increasing yields, and protecting personal and
public safety. With an eye on the latter, discussions of IIoT (as opposed to Internet of Things, IoT) must remain cognizant of the sensitivity and vulnerability of
industrial infrastructure. These critical issues will be addressed in depth in a later article, but they will remain a topic of interest throughout the series.
Networks And The Internet
We begin with the very basics of networking. When we talk about networking, we’re talking about computer networks in the broad sense, that a computer
is any computing device with the facility to communicate with another computing device. This includes not only standard PCs and laptops, but also smart
phones, smart watches, and even smart dishwashers. To a novice, the internet might be synonymous with Wi-Fi, email, or the World Wide Web (or simply,
the web) — the collection of websites, like Netflix or Google, that we access through web browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, or Safari. Not only are these
technologies independent of each other, but they encompass just a fraction of the internet. The internet actually consists of the entirety of all
interconnected computer networks across the globe. When accounting for all internet-connected devices, not just classic computers, this is referred to as the
Internet of Things (IoT). At present, there are already more internet-connected devices than people on Earth, and it is estimated that 10 to 50 billion will be
connected by 2020.
Given the sheer volume of internet-connected devices, most people will have some familiarity with consumer IoT network technologies such as Wi-Fi or
Bluetooth. However, the growing space of IIoT has distinctive demands and challenges, and often requires more robust solutions.
Industry And IoT
To cover a few more of the high-level details of IIoT networking, let’s consider a generic industrial plant with a cooling tower system. As covered in the previous
article, our ultimate goal is to maximize efficiency of the cooling tower (and therefore the plant as a whole). The incorporation of IIoT technologies provide us
with two opportunities — control and analytics. Analytics will be covered in future articles.
Control
Of the two domains, control is the more mature, although mature is not necessarily complimentary in that much of the controls in use today are positively
outdated.
Regardless, our typical cooling tower application will have a controller, a device that monitors and maintains various parameters of the system. These control-
lers invariably have basic networking capabilities as well, so the mental leap to leveraging IIoT tech isn’t that difficult.
Unsurprisingly, a controller’s main function is to control the system. While essential to the functioning of a plant, control alone isn’t quite good enough.
Without networking, operators would have to physically interface with the controller onsite in order to do any monitoring or programming. This gives rise
to the need for remote accessibility. Here we have two (not necessarily mutual) possibilities, a local (internal) network that connects the controller to the
plant’s distributed control system (DCS) or supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system, or providing the controller an internet connection (i.e.,
connecting it to the IIoT).
Locally Networked Controllers
First, we’ll take the case of an internal network that connects the controller to the plant’s control room. This is what’s known as a local area network (LAN). It is
a type of computer network that connects devices directly, most commonly via Ethernet or Wi-Fi. Prior to the rise of IIoT, this was the standard configuration.
However, it has some key drawbacks that make it undesirable today stemming from the fact that the controller must be physically connected to the network
via Ethernet cabling, or via wireless connection such as Wi-Fi.
With Ethernet connections, potentially thousands of feet of cabling must be hardwired and secured. As with the case of our cooling tower example, the
controller is not likely to be located in the same building as the control room. This could involve laying cable underground.
Wi-Fi, on the other hand, introduces the issue of signal penetration. (As a side note, Wi-Fi is a brand name used to market the underlying non-proprietary
technology known as a wireless local area network (WLAN). The name Wi-Fi was invented for branding and is not an abbreviation of anything.) Wi-Fi operates
in the ultra high frequency (UHF) band of the radio spectrum. High-frequency waves in this range are not suited to transmit through solid industrial materials
like steel and concrete. Thus, establishing a Wi-Fi connection to the LAN often requires a line of sight from the controller to the router (the connection to the
LAN). This is simply not possible in many situations.
Internet-Connected Controllers
In our previous article, we addressed the question, “Why connect?” Simply put, we can leverage remote monitoring and controls to make our systems more
efficient. So let’s start by connecting our cooling tower controller to the internet. For any given LAN, all that is required to connect it to the broader internet is
a gateway, a data path that ultimately connects to an internet service provider (ISP) such as Comcast or Verizon. To connect the controller to the IIoT, we again
have two options.
Article:
Networking 101
Page 18

The first option is to connect the controller to the facility’s LAN and piggyback off their gateway to connect to the internet. Since this option still uses the
plant’s LAN, it is also outmoded and undesirable for a myriad of reasons, not the least of which is that we are introducing a security vulnerability wherein an
attacker who gains access to the controller can sabotage the cooling tower system and potentially other systems on the same LAN.
Our second option has arisen more recently, coinciding with the boom in mobile (cellular) data infrastructure in the past dozen years. We can make our
controller accessible without connecting it to the plant’s LAN by installing a small device that has a cellular data connection, and it can act as the controller’s
gateway. This is known as a cellular gateway. Note that in this sense, the cellular gateway is a physical object, a small computer. This is opposed to abstract
gateway as defined above, a data path to the internet.
The cellular gateway actually alleviates many of the issues raised by connecting to customer LANs. No extensive cabling/wiring is required. The controller is
typically wired via Ethernet to the cellular gateway installed beside it. Additionally, while cell signal penetration has not been much of an issue in our
industrial applications, when an issue does arise, the variety of service providers and the radio bands in which they operate allow for more leeway than a
Wi-Fi connection. Finally, this mitigates the security threats posed by connecting to the LAN. In fact, in this arrangement, the controller and cellular gateway
are completely isolated from the customer’s LAN, effectively eliminating the possibility that the controller or cellular gateway (should they become compro-
mised) could be used to attack other facility systems.
At this point, our controller is accessible via the internet. At a high level, we’ve covered the very basics of networking and its role in IIoT. There are still gritty
IT-related details like securing the devices and granting access to authorized personnel; for example, the cellular gateway ought to be connected to a virtual
private network (VPN) so it can remain hidden from attackers, but the topics of VPNs and network security will be addressed at a later date. As we build our
base of knowledge in these articles, we will begin to tackle more cutting-edge and exciting topics that are sure to have lasting impacts across all industries in
the coming decades.
Schneider Electric Improves Efficiency And Productivity With
Augmented Reality Software
Schneider Electric, the leader in digital transformation of energy management and automation, recently announced the latest addition to its industrial
software portfolio, EcoStruxure™ Augmented Operator Advisor augmented reality (AR) software. The new solution brings together physical, real-life objects
with virtual objects to increase operational efficiency, reduce costs and improve proactive maintenance.
EcoStruxure Augmented Operator Advisor combines contextual and local dynamic information for mobile users in the field through an intuitive tablet
interface that superimposes real-time data and virtual objects onto cabinets or machines, giving operators immediate access to relevant machine and process
information.
Other benefits of Augmented Operator Advisor in the field or the plant include:
• Reduced downtime. Operators can virtually open electrical cabinet doors to troubleshoot potential issues with machine components,
there is no need to shut down operations.
• Faster operation and maintenance. Operators can quickly find information, with immediate access in the field to real-time data, user
manuals, instructions, diagrams and more.
• Less human error. The software locates the right equipment and guides operators step-by-step through complete maintenance proce-
dures.
“Engineers who maintain control panels and machines often spend up to half their time searching for technical data in assorted software, databases,
activity logs and even old-fashioned filing cabinets,” said Simone Gianotti, EcoStruxure Industry business development manager, Schneider Electric. “With
EcoStruxure Augmented Operator Advisor, engineers gain instant access to the information they need, meaning they can speed up operations, improve
proactive maintenance and reduce human errors commonly associated with traditional maintenance procedures.”
Industrial augmented reality for multiple applications
EcoStruxure Augmented Operator Advisor’s interface gives operators access to information in the field for operations and maintenance, including machine
history, variables of processes and documents, including products, installations, instructions, diagrams and more. It allows for fast diagnosis of issues
without lockout or electrical qualification and provides opportunity for safe and rapid detection of abnormalities and access to key performance indicators.
EcoStruxure Augmented Operator Advisor can be utilized in a variety of industries, including mining, minerals and metals, water and wastewater, food and
beverage and infrastructure, but can ultimately be adapted for any industrial domain.
EcoStruxure Augmented Operator Advisor can be customized by Schneider Electric’s experts who collaborate with customers to identify individual
requirements and develop custom augmented reality applications for their specific applications and needs.
The plug-and-play architecture works on tablets (currently iOS®, with Android™ and Windows® versions in progress) and utilizes a Windows-based PC as the
server platform. The server receives the data to share with the tablet from multiple sources, such as programmable logic controllers (PLCs), Structured Query
Language (SQL) databases and OPC Unified Architecture (UA) servers. The software is compatible with servers and components from any vendor to ensure
flexible integration into any existing system.
Page 19

Conferences, Events,
Seminars & Studies
Conferences, Seminars & Events
September 2018
Profibus Training
3rd
- 4th
September 2018
Endress & Hauser, Manchester
Hosted by Control Specialist Limited
Wastewater Exposition
12th- 13th September 2018
NEC Birmingham, UK
Hosted by Prysm Environmental Ltd
Data Quality
26th September 2018
Bletchley Park, UK
Hosted by the Sensors for Water Interest Group
October 2018
Internet of Things for the UK Water Industry
24th
October 2018
Bristol & Bath Science Park
Sensors for Water Interest Group
November 2018
Water, Wastewater & Environmental Monitoring
21st-22nd November 2018
Telford, UK
Hosted by International Labmate
WIPAC Flow Forum @WWEM
21st November 2018
Telford, UK
Hosted by RS Hydro & International Labmate
WIPAC Learning Zone @WWEM
21st-22nd November 2018
Telford, UK
Hosted by International Labmate
Industrial Discharge Monitoring - SWIG@WWEM
22nd November 2018
Telford, UK
Hosted by SWIG & International Labmate
Smart Water: Extracting Value from Data- SWIG@WWEM
22nd November 2018
Telford, UK
Hosted by SWIG & International Labmate
SWAN Forum@WWEM
22nd November 2018
Telford, UK
Hosted by SWAN Forum & International Labmate
Conferences Coming Soon
Data Quality
Where: Bletchley Park, Buckinghamshire
When: 26th
September 2018
Today’s water control centres face significant challenges in delivering
improvements to customer service, the environment and cost efficiency,
particularly in moving from reactive to more proactive management of service
impacting issues and further improving compliance and asset optimisation
opportunities. This means anticipating performance, condition and cost
avoidance opportunities and improving preventative capability , network
agility and resilience and achieving calmer (water) networks with fewer
interventions. This includes assessing risk in real time and improving
co-ordination and control of all system interventions. For this to be achieved
there must be a greater focus on ensuring adequate data quality.
The aim of this SWIG workshop is to investigate the impact of poor data
quality, the processes currently in place to assure data quality, best industry
practice and how research and innovation will shape future data management.
WWEM 2018
Where: Telford International Centre
When: 21st - 22nd November 2018
The Water, Wastewater & Environmental Monitoring Conference & Exhibition
returns for its 8th outing and this year features the Air Quality & Emissions
show as well making a huge exhibition which is free to visit for all attendees.
This year’s WWEM sees the return of the WWEM Instrumentation
Apprentice Competition which will see apprentices from the Water
Companies as well as related companies from the industry compete for the
coveted WWEM Instrumentation Apprentice 2018 title. It will also see the
return of the WIPAC Flow Forum as well a new innovation at WWEM, the
WIPAC Learning Zone. The Learning Zone will see 40 presentations over
the two days of the exhibition to learn about the various instruments and
instrumentation technologies learn how to make the best of the instruments
that are within the installed asset base.
This year’s WWEM will also feature day conferences from the Sensors for
Water Interest Group and the SWAN Forum as well as a Profibus Workshop
and the SWIG Early Career Researchers Poster Competition and the SWIG
photography competition as well.

The 8th International Conference and Exhibition on water,
wastewater and environmental monitoring
WWEM2018
Supporting Trade Associations
Network with Water
Industry Experts...
21st - 22nd November
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.
wwem.uk.com
Tel: +44 (0)1727 858840 email: info@wwem.uk.com
Follow us: @WWEM_Exhibition
Visitors to WWEM will als
o
have FREE admission to
the AQE Show
WWEM 2018 Advert.indd 1 29/01/2018 16:50Page 21

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