Water System Optimization with Software Package
Published on by Water Network Research, Official research team of The Water Network in Technology
Samara Municipal Systems not only replaced outdated control equipment but also saw the implementation of software-driven process automation implemented across 37 boosting pumping stations.
The optimization and control solution implemented across 37 boosting pumping stations has improved operational efficiencies, reduced leaks and reduced total cost of ownership. (Image:Thinkstock)
Samara is the sixth largest city in Russia and is home to a population of more than a million people, and is an important social, political, economic, industrial and cultural centre. Water treatment and supply services, as well as wastewater treatment services fall under the provenance of Samara Municipal Systems.
In 2015 the company began a huge refurbishment programme with 37 boosting pump stations. Replacing obsolete or worn-out control equipment with modern, energy-efficient products was an important aspect of the upgrade, but the primary focus was on true optimization of the water supply system.
Software solution
The goal was to highlight hidden operational inefficiencies, and enable elimination of excessive water pressure on the consumer side, while ensuring maximum efficiency of pump operation and enabling optimal pump selection. To achieve this, Samara Municipal Services implemented Aquatoria, a software solution developed especially for the water industry and built on Mitsubishi Electric’s MAPS (Mitsubishi Adroit Process Software) SCADA Package.
Delivering a suite of integrated modules for MAPS that are dedicated to water supply control system optimization, Aquatoria provides application configuration to reduce total cost of ownership of the control system, adaptive control to save energy, analytical reports to help reduce leaks, a pump selection tool to drive energy savings and increase pump lifetime, a GEO module and a process analysis tool with visual process monitor to save energy and reduce leaks.
Having refurbished the 37 pumping stations to put the various pumps under the control of Mitsubishi Electric’s variable speed drives, implementation of the Aquatoria solution was carried out to enhance the processes.
A particular problem that had been highlighted was excessive water pressure at the consumer side. This affected energy consumption, but the high water pressure also meant the supply system was prone to considerable water loss and leakage.
Avoiding high water pressure
Eliminating the need for individual pressure meters all over the city to measure consumer side water pressure and ensure that it does not exceed upper limits, Aquatoria provides virtual pressure meter software algorithms to optimize pressure.
With the variable speed drives in the pumping station cabinets enabling effective pressure adjustment, Aquatoria made further pressure decrease possible. This helped to reduce the likelihood of leaks, unsustainable water usage and energy consumption, while maintaining even flow and pressure during times of high demand.
Further optimization was made using Aquatoria by engaging the pump efficiency monitoring algorithm. This estimates the efficiency of VFD-driven pumps, and switches off pumps when their efficiency drops below preset levels, further improving energy efficiency.
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Taxonomy
- Treatment Plants
- Technology
- System Integration
- Integrated Water Management
- Energy Efficiency
- Water Supply
- Water Utility
- Pumps
- Integrated Infrastructure
- Utility Management