WIPAC Monthly - November 2016

WIPAC MONTHLYThe Monthly Update from Water Industry Process Automation & Control
www.wipac.org.uk Issue 11/2016 - November 2016

In this Issue
From the Editor.................................................................................................................... 3
Industry News..................................................................................................................... 4 - 11
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.
A Sweet Shop of Instrumentation - Tales from WWEM..................................................... 12-13
The Early Career Researcher’s Prize, The Instrumentation Apprentice Competition, a total of eight conferences and
a “small” exhibition of most of the instrumentation suppliers sums up WWEM 2016. This article sums up the stories,
the winners and those who just enjoyed themselves looking at a proverbial “sweet shop of instrumentation” at this
years event

How do we make the Smart Water Industry “Business as Usual?”.................................. 14-19
This was the question that was asked at the International Water Association Conference “IT & Water” and in this
article by Oliver Grievson, the major views that are tumbling around the industry right now are summarised. The big
question though is whether we are in part and where are we going
Energy Harvesting to Support Water Networks.................................................................... 20-21
Power has always been the problem with remote metering in the water network, technicians have to change batteries
every five years or so and when you have the pipelines that most water companies have then this becomes a permanent
job to ensure all instruments are powered. In this article we see work that has been completed by Exeter University and
Piezotag to solve the problem of battery power
Workshops, Conferences & Seminars................................................................................... 22-23
The highlights of the conferences and workshops in the coming months

The photograph on the Front Cover is a collage of what happened at this year’s Water, Wastewater & Environmental Conference
& Exhibition
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.
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

From the Editor

To say that I have finally recovered from this year’s Water, Wastewater & Environmental Monitoring Conference would
be just about right. To say my calendar has recovered would elicit the answer of “not quite yet.” to say whether the
consequences of WWEM have calmed down, the quick answer is “they never will.” Every two years it happens and every
two years I promise myself afterwards that I won’t take on so much next time. I never learn and within 48 hours I was
sending ideas to the organisers at International Labmate saying, we could do this to make it better and better next time.
With the International Water Association Conference co-located this time it made things interesting. Doing a twenty
minute presentation to a crowd of experts from the Chartered Institute of Water & Environmental Management includ-
ing the President & the Executive Director about how Smart the Water Industry could be in 2050 has to be a highlight as
was seeing a friend & colleague, Lorenzo Pompa, give his vision of what would practically help in the field. I haven’t told
Lorenzo yet but I am already lining him up for more conferences next year as it is through the practical ideas that we can
deliver tangible benefits that may well just open people up to some of the more ambitious and challenging projects that
will see the water industry, join with other utilities under the banner of the Smart City.
The big question is how do we make the “Smart Industry,” a practicality and make it a thing that is, as the industry is so fond of saying, business as usual.
This is the million, or if the various research companies would have us believe, billion dollar question. It a subject that was brought up quite alot as there is a
degree of frustration in the supply chain that can help people deliver their ideas, there are products waiting to go in by the proverbial “bucket load” that can
provide value time and time again. The standard answer is “we can’t see the benefit of that solution,” or simply “it’s good, but, sorry not for us as we already
do something similar.” These were the sort of discussions that we were having over a beer before the discussion began and apart from the need for case
studies and “proving” the benefits of things there are also potential ways of collaborating with those that deliver projects for the various companies that are
out there. From a personal point of view I do have an element of frustration with the Water Industry that I work for and it is that frustration that I harness in
putting WIPAC Monthly together each month. I see the potential, I see it in my “colleagues” that I see and talk to all the time in the supply chain but the most
touching thing that I have heard recently with the same frustration that I see in myself is in the group of people who have worked in the industry for as long as
me if not longer and all their words say is “We just want to make the industry that little bit better, we just want to help.” There are the technical people in the
industry and it is with these people that I have been seeing an under-current of frustration for many years now. It was there at the conference in Manchester
celebrating 100 Years of Activated Sludge, it was there in a missive that was written by an industry “colleague” as he was being retired off (and promptly hired
the next day).
There is a future however and at least a part of it will be in the use of instrumentation, process automation & control systems and the light that I see at the
end of the tunnel is with a technician that I work with on a day to day basis. He looks after the instrumentation and recently said “I have 30 years to sort out
instrumentation,” and has recently asked me to give him some coaching in what the instruments are measuring and what they are actually controlling. He
represents the technical person in the future. He is going to be the one driving things forward and making things right. There are elements of the Smart Indus-
try that will need big leaps and this will mean big investment. However there are elements of the Smart Water Industry that needs tiny steps, it is what I call
“creeping innovation,” its not glamorous, its not saving millions of pounds,dollars or Euros. It is there to make things that little bit easier and taken the steps
to providing something that somebody will actually think - “that’s actually quite useful, perhaps we should do it at so and so site”
How do we make the Smart Water Industry “Business as Usual?” We keep aware of the big things that have the potential to happen, we have the case studies
& business cases available to make the case but we also see if we can sneak it in under the radar and make the creeping innovation a reality and then some
point in the future we can say - “we’re there”.....pause.....and then say “what’s next?”
Have a good month
Oliver

Engineers Design New Lead Detector For Water
Mechanical engineer Junhong Chen and a team at the University of Wisconsin,
Milwaukee (UWM), have developed what you might think of as a “canary in the
coal mine” for lead in water.
With support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), they designed a sensor
with a graphene-based nanomaterial that can immediately detect lead and other
heavy metals. The new platform technology can be used for one-time testing of
lead in tap water through a handheld device.
The small sensors also can be integrated into water meters and purifiers, with the
goal of continuous monitoring to prevent exposure to lead that could be introduced
between the water treatment plant and the home.
The team is now working with manufacturers, including A.O.
Smith Corporation, Badger Meter Inc., Baker Manufacturing Company LLC and
NanoAffix Science LLC, to put the sensors into use. In addition to real-time detection
and continuous monitoring, this lead sensor system is a low cost way to mitigate
lead contamination in water.
This research is supported by the NSF Industry-University Cooperative Research Centers (I/UCRC), specifically the Water Equipment and Policy I/UCRC at UWM,
as well as the NSF Partnerships for Innovation: Accelerating Innovation Research (PFI:AIR) programs, which help translate discoveries from academic labs into
new products and services.
The award abstracts are: PFI:AIR - Research Alliance: Enabling Low-cost, Real-time Monitoring of Heavy Metal Ions in Drinking Water, I/UCRC Phase II:
Collaborative Research: Water Equipment and Policy Center and Collaborative Research: I/UCRC for Water Equipment and Policy.
International Water Association release the first call for abstracts
for ICA2017
The ICA Specialist Group organizes quadrennial conferences. The first one dates back to 1973 in London and Paris. The most recent editions were in June 2009
in Cairns, Australia and in September 2013 in Narbonne, France.
The 12th
IWA Specialized Conference on Instrumentation, Control and Automation (ICA) will provide a forum to exchange methodologies and international
experiences on all aspects of sensor technology, instrumentation, control and automation for water and wastewater treatment and transport systems.
Advanced control is in high demand for water and wastewater systems. Indeed, ICA, often perceived as a hidden technology, is found in nearly all systems
related to water supply and wastewater management. New internet-based developments like IoT and Big Data open up new opportunities for improved
performance but at the same time may pose threats in terms of cyber security.
With further understanding and better exploitation of current and future capabilities, ICA technologies will continue to contribute to the optimization of water
systems’ performances in the years to come. The conference themes are
• Sensors and instrumentation
• Modelling and simulation for control
• Control systems
• Detection and early warning systems
• Diagnosis systems
• Life cycle analysis
• Practical experiences with ICA
• Internet of things (IoT)
• Cyber security
• Big Data
More details are available from http://www.ica2017.org/
Page 4
Industry News

Vega WL61 is first radar level device to achieve MCERTS Product
approval
VEGA proudly announced this month that their radar-based system has gained MCERTS
approval for open channel flow measurement. The MCERTS scheme, overseen by the
Environment Agency, ensures high quality, approved equipment is available to maintain
reliable, accurate measurements by end users. Rigorous quality, performance and system
tests are undertaken to attain this standard.
The certification of a radar level device provides an alternative to ultrasonic level based
flow measurement. This latest certification adds to a dedicated VEGA product range
for the water sector, including level controls and pressure measurement technologies
for water, waste water, AD units, sludge processing systems and flood management.
Vega received their MCERTS product certification at the recent Water, Wastewater &
Environmental Monitoring Conference & Exhibition where they also launched their
newest radar level monitoring device
The new VEGAPULS WL S 61 contactless radar sensor is an ideal solution for applications
in the water and sewage sectors. Its very competitive price combines with globally-proven
success and comprehensive features to deliver a compelling radar based level sensor.
Radar technology offers numerous advantages when compared with
ultrasonic level sensors; radar is independent of weather influence: strong
sun, wind, surface turbulence, condensation, fog or rain. In addition,
no compensation is needed for signal transmission time due to air
temperature fluctuations. Water radar sensors are ideal for level control and
flow measurement in water treatment plants. The excellent
focusing enables their use in sewage pumping stations, rainwater
overflow basins, digesters, sludge tanks, open channel flow measurement
and for open water level gauging too.
As a compact, loop powered
sensor with an accuracy of
+/- 5 mm and range up to 8m
along with its flexible mounting
options, this means that the
sensor can easily be installed
into new or existing
applications and connection
to level controllers, telemetry
or SCADA systems is straight-
forward too. This latest of all
of the developments stems from
many years of experience of applications worldwide in the water and environmental sectors, providing
ease of set up, ultimate performance reliability and protection of the environment. It joins the VEGA radar
portfolio with another water radar device: VEGAPULS WL 61, which has been available for several years and now
has a very large installed and working base of over 40,000 units world-wide.
Previously, cost was perceived as an issue with radar technology, but this new variant VEGAPULS WL S 61 offers
a price more favourable than comparable to short range ultrasonic systems. It has a fully featured specification,
performance and design optimized for use in the water-supply and sewage sectors. The housings are a robust
IP 68 (2 bar), this high degree of protection also makes it suitable for applications where the sensor may be
temporarily submerged, the technology is wear and maintenance-free. It complies with the latest Level Probing
Radar standard (LPR): approved for open-air use without restrictions or special attachments.
Another entirely new feature is Bluetooth wireless operation from a free App via IOS or Android smartphone
or tablet and/or PC with free to download PACTware when combined with a VEGA Bluetooth USB adapter; this
option makes commissioning and diagnosis even simpler.
Vega WL61 has recently achieved MCERTS Product Certification
Peter Devine & Ray Treagle of Vega picking up Vega’s Product Certificate for the WL61
Page 5

HWM to supply Severn Trent with wastewater monitoring
systems
Multi-utility monitoring and telemetry specialist HWM, in partnership with field services expert Enviromontel, has won a contract to supply, install and
maintain fixed-point sewer network monitoring equipment for Severn Trent.
Severn Trent is targeting better monitoring of its wastewater networks in order to improve performance and customer service, as well as reduce flooding and
pollution incidents.
HWM will provide the utility with three separate products over a five-year period, all based on the company’s new Intelligens data logger. These include 700
Intelligens flow monitoring systems, capable of recording parameters such as velocity and depth; 3,000 Intelligens WW and SonicSens ultrasonic sensors, used
to record the level of flow; and 1,130 Intelligens Flood Alarm systems, which register that the level in the sewer has risen beyond an acceptable height and
transmit an alarm.
The Intelligens monitors are housed in a rugged IP68 enclosure and fitted with a GPRS modem for remote monitoring and reprogramming. The unit’s advanced
power management allows for over five years’ data collection and transmission under standard operating conditions. An alarm regime can be configured for
each channel and threshold conditions set to trigger faster logging and accelerated data transmission during alarm conditions.
The benefits of long-term monitoring in wastewater networks include a reduction in both the frequency and impact of pollution events. Permanent installation
of remote monitoring equipment helps to alert network operators to immediate problem sites. It also improves understanding of network performance and
delivers data to assist with the development and testing of advanced network models.
TaKaDu & Kamstrup join forces in the Smart Technology Space
Water companies Kamstrup and TaKaDu have joined forces to combine their smart
metering and cloud-based software technologies. The joint offering will combine Danish
firm Kamstrup’s ultrasonic water meters and sensors collecting real-time data from the
distribution network, and Israeli firm TaKaDu’s cloud-based software.
The ambition is to enables utilities to manage the full life-cycle of network events, such
as faulty assets, leaks, bursts, water pressure issues, water quality and operational faults.
TaKaDu’s software works alongside utilities’ existing infrastructure. Information from
flow and pressure meters, GIS and SCADA systems is collated and turned into a real-time
picture
The smart water and technology market is growing, as more utilities are taking data and analysis to address rising operation costs. Recently water technology
company Xylem acquired US metering firm Sensus to move into this market.
Amir Peleg, TaKaDu’s founder & CEO, TaKaDu, said: “The two data-driven solutions are truly complementary, offering multiple benefits to our joint
customers. With Kamstrup’s intelligent water network solutions, TaKaDu’s event management transforms data to knowledge, detecting and managing any
significant incident in the network. The utility can identify anomalies early on, send out field teams if needed, and prevent potential incidents causing
long-term damage.”
Jesper Kjelds, senior VP of heat/cooling/water systems at Kamstrup, said: “There is so much valuable information in the real-time data our meters and sensors
collect from the distribution network. We want to ensure that our customers have access to and are trained to use the right tools that will enable them to turn
data into valuable and actionable information that in turn assists the utility in reducing costs and providing improved services to their customers.”
Page 6

Thames Water installs landmark 100,000th smart meter
Thames Water has installed its landmark 100,000th smart meter, in the London Borough of Bexley.
The water company was the first to announce it would roll out smart meters across its supply area. It plans to meter all customers where possible by 2030.
The new technology removes the need for householders to send meter readings to the water company. The usage data reported by the smart meters will also
allow Thames Water teams to discover and fix leaks on a customer’s personal pipe.
The programme has so far detected around 4,200 leaks on customer pipes, and saved an estimated 930,000 litres of water per day across London.
Households will have two years to understand and reduce their usage before they are moved on to a metered bill, unless they choose to switch early and cash
in on any savings.
Thames Water head of metering Danny Leamon said: “Our metering programme continues to gain momentum and we’re really pleased to have achieved this
landmark figure.
“Installing water meters is important, not just because they give our customers greater control over their water use, but also for the environment, as climate
change and population put ever increasing pressure on our water resources.
“We also believe meters are the fairest way to pay because you pay for what you use, value what you pay for, and so tend to use water more efficiently.”
Thames is currently installing smart meters in the London Boroughs of Bexley, Greenwich, Enfield, Camden, Islington, Haringey, Lewisham and Waltham Forest.
Research explores customer response to universal metering
Metering has the potential to encourage households to use water more wisely if they see financial benefits and receive the right level of care and support from
their water company, according to jointly-commissioned research by the Consumer Council for Water (CCWater) and Southern Water.
The research looked at customers’ experiences of the company’s Universal Metering Programme and how metering subsequently affects people’s water saving
attitudes and behaviours.
Southern Water was the first company to roll out a large-scale compulsory metering programme, which ran from 2010 to 2015. More than 400,000 water meters
were fitted across its water supply area, covering parts of Hampshire, Kent and Sussex, as part of wider efforts to tackle growing pressure on water resources in
the South East of England.
The research – which was carried out during the summer of 2016 – examined how customers responded to compulsory water metering, from the moment they
found out about metering through to their first metered bill and beyond.
It found that most had a good experience of the way Southern installed the meter and communicated with them about the process. The overriding concern of
most customers was about the financial impact and the predictability of their water bill after metering; those who saw bill increases were less happy, but there
was evidence those experiencing genuine financial issues were well supported.
The study found that a desire to reduce bills was effective in driving customers to alter their water saving habits. However, for some households where the
anticipated financial benefits didn’t materialise, these water saving activities tailed off.
The research therefore concluded that more needs to be done to maintain focus on water efficient behaviour over time, and offer customers more innovative
approaches to reducing water use.
Tony Smith, Chief Executive of CCWater, said: “Metering can get households thinking more about how they use water, especially when it results in lower bills. But
this research shows that it’s also vital customers receive the right level of support and their concerns are handled very sensitively by water companies.”
“We look forward to using the invaluable insights from this research to help inform the development of future compulsory metering programmes.”
The research concluded that for future metering programmes early communication, direct contact on the doorstep or over the phone and responsiveness to
individual needs help create a more positive customer experience.
Southern Water CEO Matthew Wright said: “Metering in general, and compulsory metering in particular, poses the challenge of balancing fairness and
affordability of charges and the long-term need for reliable and sustainable water supplies. Metering is a fundamental change in consumers’ relationship with
water, as they move from flat rate charges to paying for the volume of water they use.
“As the first company to roll out a large-scale metering programme we were extremely conscious that we put our customers at the heart and it is great to see that
customers on the whole had a good experience. I hope that the companies who are following suit learn lessons from our experience.”
Page 7

i2O appoints cyber security expert
i2O, the smart water network solutions company, has today announced that it has appointed Daniel Bradberry, formerly chief engineer at one of Europe’s
leading cybersecurity consultancies, to oversee its cyber security activities.
i2O’s first dedicated Software Security Architect, Daniel Bradbury will work with i2O clients, suppliers and employees to undertake security risk assessments
and identify emerging threats to improve the resilience of i2O’s products and working practices.
Joel Hagan, CEO of i2O, commented:
“Smart water networks have to deliver the very highest levels of security as well as dramatic improvements in environmental, financial and service performance.
Daniel’s appointment will help ensure that i2O continues to look at security as a holistic issue and that our clients retain confidence in these vital technologies.”
Daniel Bradberry added:
“Water companies are responsible for critical infrastructure, and with the threat of cyber attacks becoming ever more real it is important that its suppliers are
as serious about security as they are. I am delighted to be joining i20 at such an exciting time in its growth and development.”
He joins i2O from MWR InfoSecurity where he led development of new technologies for detecting advanced cyber attacks.
Echologics Selected By New Jersey American Water For
Continuous Leak Detection Monitoring
New Jersey American Water has selected Echologics’ continuous leak detection technology, EchoShore®-DX, to reduce water loss, prioritize repairs and help
maximize the life of its buried water infrastructure assets.
A subsidiary of American Water, New Jersey American Water is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, serving approximately 2.6 million people.
The utility installed more than 1,000 of Echologics’ leak detection nodes in six water systems across the state. In the first six months of operation, Echologics’
DX technology enabled New Jersey American Water to identify and repair more than 50 active leaks, with total recovery of more than 1,000 gpm in water loss.
“New Jersey American Water’s mission is to provide our customers with high-quality reliable water service, and we are committed to using technology that
allows us to increase our efficiencies and the value of the services we provide,” said Kevin Kirwan, Vice President of Operations for New Jersey American Water.
“The large-scale implementation of Echologics’ technology has enabled us to continuously monitor for leaks in a non-invasive manner.”
Echologics pioneered the development of a proprietary, acoustic-based system, which can be used in the field to non-invasively locate leaks with exceptional
accuracy without breaking ground or inserting tools in the water system.
Echologics’ leak detection technology incorporates the latest generation of acoustic sensors. The sensors are built into a standard fire hydrant cap, and are
capable of identifying extremely faint acoustical noises emitted by leaks before they become detectable by conventional methods. This early detection capability
enables utilities to prioritize repairs based on actual need and the most effective allocation of repair crews.
“One of the challenges we face is how to reduce non-revenue water, which is water that has been treated but is lost in the distribution system before reaching
its intended destination,” said Don Shields, Vice President and Director of Engineering for New Jersey American Water. “With Echologics’ technology, we have
been able to reduce the amount of non-revenue water by detecting active leaks and prioritizing repairs before they became significant issues, ensuring that we
are able to meet our commitments to our customers.”
“By integrating technology into water infrastructure and monitoring distribution mains on a continuous basis, New Jersey American Water is leveraging
technology and data, which can help them better manage their assets more efficiently and improve customer service,” said Marc Bracken, Vice President and
General Manager of Echologics.
Senet And Trimble Enable Water Monitoring Solutions
Throughout North America
Senet, the first and only North American provider of public, low-power, wide-area networks (LPWANs) for long range-based (LoRa®-based) Internet of Things
(IoT) applications, today announced that Trimble is leveraging its wireless technology to enable water utilities to remotely measure and monitor water,
wastewater and groundwater systems including water pressures, flows, levels and rainfall volumes.
Senet brings its highly scalable and reliable LoRa LPWAN network to connect the suite of Trimble’s new, LoRa-enabled Telog® 41 Series of water
monitoring sensors. The sensors provide a wide range of monitoring capabilities to include water system pressures, level monitoring to measure levels of
water in various resources such as aquifers, reservoirs and towers, flow monitoring, pulse and event monitoring and rainfall monitoring. These devices
have the ability to communicate with the Senet network from long-range and have very long battery life providing a lower cost of total ownership for Trimble
customers, which allow them to deploy sensors across many more applications.
“Trimble’s decision to work with Senet highlights how LoRa-enabled LPWAN applications like Trimble’s coupled with a highly scalable and reliable network like
Senet’s bring real value to, and open up, new markets for IoT applications globally,” said Will Yapp, Vice President of Business Development for Senet.
Marcus McCarthy, GM of Trimble’s Water Division said, “We are excited to be working with a world-class network provider to connect our new Telog 41 Series
of water monitoring sensors utilizing LoRa to a broad range of customers we service in North America. Senet brings the scale, reliability and flexibility to move
quickly with our customer’s demands.”
Page 8

Research on optical profiling to detect iron concentrations in sediment
pore water was the winning scientific poster by Zoe Goddard from the
University of East Anglia, who has the SWIG 2016 Early Career Researcher
competition. Zoe was presented with a trophy and cheque for £1,200
during the gala dinner at WWEM 2016, where she had earlier
presented her research in the poster exhibition area entitled ‘Optically-
Profiling Diffusible Iron Concentrations in Sediment Pore Water’. This
technique could also be adapted to detect other environmental pollutants.
Zoe is undertaking a PhD at the University of East Anglia. Zoe commented:
“The SWIG Early Careers Researcher Poster competition was an amazing
experience for me. The water industry is an area with lots of prospects for
exciting innovation and I was honoured to win this award with so much
amazing research on display. It has greatly increased my confidence in my
research and my ability to present it to a wider audience. I look forward to continuing my research and seeing where this idea can go. I would like to thank
my supervisor, Dr. Andrew Mayes, for all his support throughout my project.”
Congratulations also go to the winner of the 2nd prize of £500, Elena Koutsoumpeli for her cutting edge research into the use of affimers (artificial antibodies)
for the detection of environmental contaminants ‘Antibody-mimetics for the detection of environmental contaminants’. Congratulations also to the winner
of the 3rd prize of £200, Kevin Martins for his research into a ground breaking use of radar to study ‘Wave propagation in the surf zone’.
The quality of posters submitted and the finalists’ presentations this year were excellent and the ten shortlisted posters of the Early Career Researcher Prize
on display at WWEM generated a lot of interest from the water sensor industry, who were keen to learn more about the exciting research currently being
undertaken into water sensing. SWIG would like to thank WWEM for sponsoring and hosting the poster display and prize ceremony.
The aim of the SWIG Early Career Researcher Prize for Sensing the Water Environment is to raise awareness of technological development and novel
applications related to water measurements and thereby promote innovation in sensor research and commercial application. The competition is run every
two years and is open to all ‘early career researchers’ within the first 4 years of employment within their area of expertise.
SWIG is a not for profit knowledge exchange and networking organisation which focuses on the use of sensor and associated technologies for use in water
and wastewater treatment processes and infrastructure, as well as in natural environments and waters. For further information: www.swig.org.uk or contact
the programme manager: rosa.richards@swig.org.uk
Zoe Goddard of the University of East Anglia wins the SWIG
Early Career Researcher’s prize
ECS Installs One Of The UK’s First Adjustable Stop Logs At
Peakirk Pumping Station
Water control and fabrication expert ECS Engineering Services has recently completed the installation of one of the country’s first adjustable stop logs at
Peakirk Pumping Station. Located on the River Welland, ECS installed the stop log as part of an overhaul of the existing pumping station on behalf of the
Environment Agency and Anglian Water. The new stop log will aid work in the area by offering a barrier to water flow while maintenance is carried out on
certain facilities.
The new coated steel stop log, weighing 5,000 kg, is designed to seal off a water channel to allow maintenance work to be carried out on a number of water
control structures in the area. The innovative design allows the overall width to be adjusted between 6,800 mm and 8,000 mm, which ensures an excellent fit
in a number of structures across the local sites. By specifying a single stop log for use in multiple applications, the Environment Agency has been supplied with
a cost-effective and versatile solution.
ECS designed this particular solution in conjunction with H.C. Waterbeheersing. A coated steel stop log was selected by ECS for the facility due to its durability
and resistance to corrosion – providing maximum service life with minimal maintenance.
ECS typically designs, manufactures and installs stop logs that are designed specifically for a client’s application, enabling a perfectly suited solution to
control flow in specific areas. These particular type of stop logs are available in a range of modern lightweight materials and various grades of steel for
greater customisation options.
Further work carried out by ECS during the project included the addition of a second fixed coated steel stop log system weighing in at 1,200 kg, which is located
upstream in the centre channel sluice of the station. Furthermore, refurbishment of the pointing doors was completed including a new mechanical operating
system, which was designed and installed by ECS.
Updated PLC controlled weedscreen cleaners have also been installed at Peakirk, replacing a previous system that had reached the end of the service life. The
new cleaners will clear debris more efficiently from the screens, ensuring the risks of blockages and eventual flooding are significantly reduced, improving the
flood safety of the surrounding area. As the entire system is automated, the costs and associated risks with regards to manually maintaining and unblocking
the screens will be minimised.
Page 9

Portable device detects lead in grey water at source
Students at United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) have developed a portable device that can detect heavy metal levels in water at source. Part of the UAEU’s
Summer Undergraduate Research Experiences (SURE) program, the four students and their supervising professors spent six weeks developing the device which
allows concentrations of lead in water to be accurately measured at the source, rather than samples having to be transported to a lab.
“It is very important to have methods to measure heavy metals at low concentrations because we do have heavy metals at low concentrations in the water –
not necessarily the drinking water but in the grey water,” said Thies Thiemann, Professor of Chemistry at UAEU. “Grey water is usually put back onto the fields
so some of the grey water ends up in agricultural produce. From that point of view it is important to monitor heavy metals in that type of water. What ideally
you want to have is a small device that you take along with you to sample the water directly and measure it. And this was one of the considerations when the
team worked on the device.”
Currently, heavy metals in water are measured using instruments such as inductively coupled plasma (ICP). However, they are costly, high maintenance and
require scientists and researchers to bring their water samples to the lab for analysing.
Prof Thiemann said cost and the need to transport the sample was the other determining factor for the team when developing the device. “Nowadays it is very
important to analyse things cheaply. It is a question of cost very often, especially for developing countries where price is definitely a concern. So ideally you
want to have a device that you can take out into the countryside, that is cheap to run and low maintenance.”
Moreover, the device, which was a joint effort between Prof Thiemann, Dr Saber Abdel Baki and undergraduate students Shefaa Abou Namous, Amna Al
Neyadi, Zeinab Saeed and Salma Abubaker, was designed with the international market in mind.
“We’re not necessarily developing this for the UAE,” said Prof Thiemann. “We’re thinking also of using that sort of device for a region that is less developed.”
Dr Abdel Baki said: “The project included the preparation of a new plastic electrode to measure and estimate concentrations of lead ions at ppb level in
two ways: the traditional way using an internal aqueous lead solution as ion-to-electron transducer, and a recently developed way using a solid contact
(polyaniline) as ion-to-electron transducer to avoid the disadvantages of the more conventional electrode, as a preliminary stage to prepare a modern system
of simultaneous estimation of lead.”
If the device makes its way to the market, which Prof Thiemann said is possible, it could transform the agricultural industry at home and abroad.
“Most water supply companies in the UAE have labs and they are working very well in terms of analysing the drinking water, so we don’t have to worry
about our drinking water here. But the point is that here, what we do sometimes have is grey water and the grey water is often put onto the fields or on the
road- divides where you have plants growing. You have to be sure that you do not put a lot of heavy metals into the ground again.”
Expression of Interest for 2017/18 UKWIR Programme
opens 1st
December to include FFT monitoring & assessment
It is at this time of year that the United Kingdom Water Industry Research (UKWIR) launch their programme and invite expressions of interest from contractors
who might want to take part. The start date is 1st
December and the close date is 31st
December so there is very little time for companies to put what they need
to submit what they need. The programme for next year is up on the website right now and there are a few items of interest including a project on monitoring
and assessing compliance with flow to full treatment.
The FFT monitoring and compliance assessment project is based on the fact that often MCERTS flow kit is not situated at the sewage works inlet. Without a
signal indicating that a spill has occurred, compliance assessment is not simple and would require investment at a large number of assets. Companies can be
prosecuted for failure to meet this permit condition. In absence of any alternative accepted substitute there may be a drive for MCERTs inlet flow measurement
devices to be introduced.
The Environment Agency document ‘Water Quality Consenting Standard for Flow Measurement of Discharges’ states – (1) ‘For storm overflows at STWs the
Agency needs to be able to confirm that the flow at which the storm overflow begins to operate is as required by the consent.’ This does differentiate between
fixed weir systems and overflow settings that can be adjusted in terms of rigour applied to demonstrate compliance.
The storm overflow weir setting to the storm tanks dictates what the flows that are given secondary treatment at a conventional STW. The most recent Agency
documentation detailing the theoretical calculation for this setting is ‘WaSC specific guidance: intermittents.’ This reflects the basic calculation 3PG + I + 3E,
where P – population, G – water consumption, I – infiltration and E – Trade effluent flow.
The objectives of the project is to develop a tiered approach to assessing compliance with the Flow to Full Treatment (FFT) storm setting permit limit at
wastewater treatment works (WWTWs) using data already available. This will aim to minimise the need to introduce new flow monitoring kit at the inlet to
WWTWs which do not have this currently.
This compliance method will include a level of confidence that will depend upon the monitoring kit used, whether accredited or not, its location and include
allowance for differing levels of flow measurement accuracy. This will aim to lead to a consistent approach to compliance assessment for this permit condition.
As this is a new compliance approach it is hoped that the industry can gain agreement with the Environment Agency on an alternative assessment methodology.
Should the Environment Agency develop an FFT compliance method in the meantime then this proposal could be adapted accordingly.
Details of the projects that will form next year’s programme are available by clicking here
Page 10

Dutch King Willem-Alexander launches ‘water control room’ in
Brisbane, Australia
Dutch King Willem Alexander and Queen Maxima have officially launched an ICT portal for
urban water managers, in Brisbane, Australia, on 4 November.
The portal has been designed as a ‘water control room’ by Dutch consultancy firm
HydroLogic and research institute Deltares. It provides a 3D visualisation of the effects of
cloud bursts or floods, with easy access to real-time weather reports, climate and water data
and rapid automated analysis.
The launch of the portal was part of the Dutch trade mission to Australia and the state visit
by the Dutch king to Australia.
Australian-Dutch cooperation
After several years of cooperation with Australian water managers, HydroLogic and Deltares have
collaborated to launch this platform, titled Smart Scanner for Water Resilient Cities.
The smart scanner allows urban water managers to analyse, monitor and forecast historical and
current flood events and allows them to analyse the economic and hydrologic impact of measures
to make their city more water and climate resilient.
Big data
The platform uses HydroLogic’s web-based support system HydroNet RainWatch that has been
adapted specially for Australian cities.
It uses data from open street maps that are freely available on the net. Linking these data to
Deltares’ Delft3D Flexible Mesh models allows computations to be made in 3D simulations for any
city or district.
Anticipation on extreme weather
Many communities within Australia are impacted by flooding. An estimated 7 percent of all Austral-
ian households regularly have problems with flooding and flash floods.
As a result, a high priority on the Australian agenda is to raise public awareness so that people
know how to respond. The need for timely and location specific water management solutions has
increased significantly.
VTScada Reaches 1,000 Water Wastewater Customers
Trihedral announces that it has achieved a milestone for its VTScada Software for
Monitoring and Control, by reaching 1,000 water/wastewater utilities. Their most recent
customer, University of Central Florida (UCF), will be using VTScada to rehabilitate their
on-campus water treatment plant, with the help of VTScada Certified Solution Provider,
Barney’s Pumps in Lakeland, Florida.
UCF has an enrollment of 62,000 students and 8,000 employees. In phase one of a water
plant rehabilitation project, VTScada will be integrated as part of a complete control system
being supplied by Barney’s Pumps. In future phases, the university will integrate seven lift
stations and one booster station into the VTScada software application.
With a glass of champagne in hand, Trihedral President, Glenn Wadden, described this
milestone to the assembled VTScada team. “This is a very neat milestone to reach just
as we are closing out our 30th year in business (October 31st). It’s also neat that there
are almost another 500 non-water customers as well. Each customer typically has multiple
software licenses. Congratulations and thanks to all of you who made this happen by
creating, selling, and supporting VTScada. The pace of sales is still accelerating.”
Page 11

Article:
A “sweet shop” of Instrumentation -
What did you miss at WWEM this year
Every other year those in the Water Industry in the UK gather in one place to talk, present and keep in touch with all things instrumentation in the UK. The place is
Telford and the event is WWEM, the Water, Wastewater & Environmental Monitoring Conference & Exhibition.
Of course things have grown over the years and on top of the large variety of instrumentation suppliers who were there to talk about their newest releases and the
technology that has been designed to help the water industry there was a very strong programme of conferences and workshops. If fact there were eight of them
in total plus a wide variety of technical presentations to. Now not everyone was able to come (where were you?) but in the following few lines I hope to give you
a snippet of what you missed.
The Competitions
A long standing competition that has been present at WWEM is the Early Ca-
reer Researcher Prize that comes from the Sensors for Water Interest Group. The
competition starts a few months earlier with a call for posters and this year there
were 17 submissions from around the globe. The SWIG Board of Directors select
their top three and the competitors are invited to come to WWEM to present
their posters and find out who has won and the gala dinner on the evening of the
first day as well as picking up a check for £1,200 for the winner.
This year’s winner was Zoe Goddard of the University of East Anglia who
presented the poster on “ Optically-Profiling Diffusible Iron Concentrations in
Sediment Pore Water” with Kevin Martins of the University of Bath and Elena
Koutsoumpeli of the University of York runners up.
This of course isn’t it for the competition side of things as there was also the
Instrumentation Apprentice Competition as well. The competition which was
originally started in 2014 by the Water Industry Process Automation & Control
Group (WIPAC) and was run this year by the world famous consultancy the WRC and
the SWIG Group. The competition that was kindly sponsored by ABB, ATI, Partech,
SEFS & Siemens see Instrumentation Apprentices from the Water Companies
battle it out in three rounds with a round investigating instrumentation amongst the
shows suppliers, a practical competition run by the sponsors and a quick fire quiz
round hosted by Andy Godley of the WRC, Each of the Apprentices are invited to the
gala dinner where the winner is announced.
The five teams this year that competed were from Anglian Water, Severn Trent
& United Utilities (two from both Anglian & Severn Trent) and Anglian Water
successfully defended their title from 2014 with Fred Riseborough and Dale Reece
winning the day
The Conferences
This year’s WWEM featured a staggering amount of conferences and I certainly had my fill of them as I ran from room to room either hosting a conference or
presenting at one. This is of course in addition to the workshops that WWEM runs in the hall (featuring over 80 presentations). I think my quick head count of
conferences had over 200 presentations. Quite something for something that is considered a “trade show” by some.
This year was of course something special with the International Water Association hosting their 3rd Conference in the “New Developments in IT & Water”
series. This is something of a misnomer as really it was about bringing the Smart Water Industry into a “business of usual” phase in the Water Industry. This was
neatly highlighted when the first of the keynote speakers said “this is what the key highly successful service industries in the world are doing to provide customer
service....how about you. Bas Boorsma of Cisco Systems sent the scene for what promised to be a fascinating first day with the two sessions being chaired by Elliot
Gill of CH2M Hill and Jim Southworth. The sessions covered The Value of Smart Water, modelling and control in both Potable & Wastewater as well as data analytics,
decision support systems and the Internet of Things.
The second day, which was hosted by Richard Crowder of CH2M Hill and Oliver Grievson of Water Industry Process Automation & Control covered event more when
we heard about the risks and perils that the industry faces from Cyber Security (and the ease of which it is possible to hack a SCADA System) and the Shining Stars
programme along with the educational work that is being done with companies such as Anglian Water to educate the work force. The talks then went on to talk
about communications protocols where what promised to be a contentious session actually ended up with all of the speakers discussing the newest of releases
from the Water Industry Telemetry Standards Association (WITS) which is WITS-IOT.
In the other room presentations were given about the management of data within the Water Industry and Sensing & Analysis in Wastewater.
Zoe Goddard of the University of East Anglia won the SWIG Early Career Researcher Prize
Fred Riseborough & Dale Recce of Anglian Water won the Apprentice Competition
Page 12

The IWA Conference finished with two workshops. The first hosted by the IWA concentrating on the Smart Wastewater Industry and was hosted by Oliver
Grievson and the second by the SWAN Forum and was hosted by Jim Southworth. In the IWA session a panel of experts and those gathered how to make the
Smart Wastewater Industry a thing that is quite simply “Business of Usual.” Normal discussions of what Smart means to the water industry ensued and the
atmosphere was very much an open discussion. The lack of understanding of what Smart is and what it can do for the water industry was seen as a major factor
of the lack of adoption along with the lack of engagement and saying what the benefits are.
This was fed from a presentation given in the CIWEM conference the day before. The subject of the conference was “The Water & Environment Industries of
2050” where Oliver Grievson gave his view of what the Water Industry would look like. The vision was very much using the technology of today to deliver what
we want today but of course in reality, things such as zero pollutions, low leakage, low per capita consumption and using technology to deliver this. The adage
of “You can’t manage what you don’t measure comes to mind.
This was an adage that was also used in the Water Industry Process Automation & Control (WIPAC) Flow Forum which was kindly sponsored by RS Hydro this
year. The conference was being chaired by Oliver Grievson and covered three key areas of flow within the Water Industry including
• Installation, Operation & Management of Flow Measurement Installations
• The Value of Flow Measurement
• Area Velocity Flow Measurement in Wastewater
Presentations by Simon Richardson of SEFS & John Curtis of Morrison Utility Services highlighted
the care that needs to be taken in not just installing but operating flow measurement structures
and a fantastic presentation by Tony Wood of CSA Group highlighted the systems that need to be
in place to manage flow measurement to stop things from going wrong.
The second session of the Flow Forum saw Alan Hunt, Lorenzo Pompa and Danny Ronson of ABB,
Anglian Water & Siemens respectively present on the use that we can put flow measurement to.
Lorenzo in particular, having had experience in the field gave an operational point of view in to
the difficulties of managing wastewater networks and the benefits that flow measurement can
give.
The last session featured presentations and an open discussion on the use of area velocity
flow measurement and in particular the presentations by Laurent Soliec (Nivus), Mark Davis
(Flowline) & Rob Stevens (RS Hydro) showing the reliability of the technique and what can be
done to verify that it is as accurate as other flow measurement techniques.
On top of all of these conferences were others including:
Sensors for Water Interest Group Conference on the resilence of sensor networks and the use of sensors in challenging applications.
SCI Laboratory Conference
BMSS Conference
British Water Conference
Pump Centre Conference
The Exhibition
When I first arrived at WWEM this year I was privileged to have a quick look around when it was empty. It was going to stay that way for long and it didn’t. The
suppliers who are the “heart & soul” of the conference soon moved in and populated the stands turning them into gems of information for visitors to glean
what is happening in the industry
The exhibition itself is a chance for people to catch up with the latest innovations and increasingly the suppliers are using WWEM to launch the newest of
products or announcing the newest certification for products. For example Vega Controls this year launched their WL S 61 which is a light version of their WL61
radar level that received MCERTS Product certification at WWEM this year, They were not the only company to present new and/or innovative products, ABB
had their newest Laser Level meter on show, the LLT 100, Pulsar Process Measurement had both their Microflow Flow meter and their Ultimate Controller on
display, Nivus had their newest of area velocity flow measurement technology and Envitech had the newest version of their ammonia monitor the PBS 3 which
has significantly developed from what I was used to using when commissioning ammonia instruments.
There was of course many many measurement technologies there this year and at the end of it the possibilities of applications was whizzing around in my mind
as to the possibilities of what needs to be measured and where for the Global Water Industry to build upon so that we can work to what most people would
deem to an intelligent way of working or of course “Smart”.
Mark Davis of FlowLine discussing AV Flow Meters at the WIPAC Flow
Forum
Page 13

Feature Article:
How does the Water Industry make
“Smart” Business as Usual?
Introduction
At the most recent IWA New Developments in IT & Water Conference I organised for one of the workshops at the end of the conference so that the subject of
how does the Water Industry adopt “Smart” ways of working. It is a question that is in desperate need of being answered as there are a plethora of “Smart”
solutions that are ready for adoption but in all honesty they aren’t being adopted as much as the potential that they have to be disruptive and change the way
the industry works to adopt a way of working that is much more informed than it currently is.
Does the industry need to change and what is this “Smart” Industry all about?
To me this is the crux of the issue. My origins were as a Process Engineer and as all process engineers know there is no right answers in the water industry only
shades of grey where one answer may work better than another but know answer is no definitive answer. It makes things interesting and difficult but represents
what the water industry is all about. The water industry, especially after the customer is inherently unstable – it is not a steady state process but is an unsteady
one. There are some rules but things are continuously changing depending what comes in the proverbial “door,” and as such things change all of the time. To
operate these processes with the best possible efficiency it is necessary to monitor the state and adopt the process operations to suit. By doing this it is possible
to at least minimise the changes so that are at least within a state which can be relatively easily managed. However, the tighter the consents and the closer the
works is operated to that consent it is necessary to have an amount of instruments collecting data on the state of operation and to, in the very least, report on
the current state in order to make changes.
So, what is smart about this? This is what operators in the Water Industry have been doing for the past 100-150 years, that’s the day job.
In truth, the “Smart Water Industry” is both a relatively new concept and in fact a concept that has been going on for the past 50 years (almost). The
development of instrumentation for the Water Industry has been going on for many years but its origins are mainly from the 1970s with digital instrumentation
and the development of control systems. Most of these were limited by the accuracy of the instrumentation and the processing power that was available in the
computers of the age. This was the main limitation.
In the past 50 years, the ability of both instrumentation and the development of computers and their computing power has developed a huge amount. The
average person now has a mobile phone in their pocket that has sufficient processing power that could hold a relatively large treatment works and with remote
access to most corporate computing systems being available for many years it is actually possible to control a treatment works (if the right systems are in place)
from anywhere in the world that has a decent internet connection and if the user has the right answer to the right security protocols. If we go back 50 years this
would seem “Smart” to those engineers and process operators who have come before us.
So, what does “Smart” mean now?
Being the process engineer that I am the answer can be quite literally “What do you want it to be?” Smart will depend on the person and their individual needs
but actually at the heart of things it is about this, to me at least:
“The Smart Water Industry is about having the ability to control what we want to or need to control and have sufficient information
available to manage the rest.”
What the individual person needs depends upon who that person is. If it is the Chief Executive Officer of the company, then the informational needs are likely
to be along the lines of what is the next big problem that has to be dealt with and how the company is financially performing. Stepping down a director of the
company they will be more concerned about their individual element of the company and how that is performing in terms of both compliance and efficiency;
whereas the manager will want to know how an individual plant or distribution system is performing and what has to be done to keep things going. The operator
will want to know as much information in the finest possible detail about the next plant on his or her list to make a decision as to how it is running and what
needs to be done.
So in reality “Smart” is different to all of these different stakeholders but also the data & informational needs will be common between the different stakeholders
but the resolution of what is happening very different.
So, what is Smart then? It is having enough data and information to, borrow from the Pernille Ingildsen, to Measure, to Analyse and to make a Decision as to
what to do next or as she wonderfully described it – Smart is M.A.D.
Page 14

What does Smart look like then?
If we accept the way that we want to be in the Smart Industry – i.e. M.A.D then what does this look
like in actual practicality. To understand it we have to go back to the SWAN layers’ diagram of the Smart
Water Industry. In this the SWAN Forum set up the structure of the Smart Water Industry in a relatively
easy to understand and simple diagram. Their original diagram was set up around the concept of Smart
Water Networks but in reality, it refers to any operational based system within the Water Industry.
To take SWAN’s description of a Smart Water Network an understanding of what “Smart” is can be seen
A Smart Water Network is the collection of data-driven components helping to operate the data-less
physical layer of pipes, pumps, reservoirs and valves. Water utilities are gradually deploying more data-
enabled components. It’s up to us to make the most out of them, by turning the discrete elements into a
cohesive ‘overlay network’.
Collecting and using comprehensive data about water network operations offers the promise of better
operations through better knowledge and tighter control of the network’s extensive and complex
assets. The water industry is not traditionally a fast-moving early adopter of such solutions, but it is rapidly
adjusting to this new necessity. Data technologies for water networks span water sources and production,
transmission and distribution, consumer end-points and internal piping.
Smart Water Networks are layered, as any data ecosystem is, starting from sensors, remote control, and
enterprise data sources, through data collection and communications, data management and display, and up to data fusion and analysis. The latter covers many
categories, from decision support, automation to analytic solutions.
Smart Water Network solutions improve the efficiency, longevity, and reliability of the underlying physical water network by better measuring, collecting,
analysing, and acting upon a wide range of network events. This can take shape in different phases of the utility process, such as real-time monitoring and
automation, operational readiness, or network planning. The availability of cheap, easy-to-use data technologies, as well as external pressures on the water
industry, means that water networks will see much greater sensor and controller density, and inevitably a more central role for all the data systems built on
top of them.
The Smart Water Network concept should have a significant contribution in the efforts towards affordable, sustainable and pure water for all.
(SWAN Forum Website - https://www.swan-forum.com/about/)
Smart at Layer 1 – The Physical Layer
The physical layer in Smart Water system is the actual physical pipe or piece of plant. In the Smart Water Network this is actually not counted as part of the
“Smart Water Infrastructure” it is the physical asset. As there is no data or control as part of the “asset” then it is not Smart. However, there is information about
each individual asset that is actually needed. As it is an asset the information about it, where it is, what it is, what it does and what its function is fundamental
to the operation of the Water Industry. This sort of information is the “Asset Information and in terms of Asset Management is very important. Operationally
if an asset does not exist on the system it simply does not exist and if it doesn’t exist it can’t be maintained, it can’t be serviced and can’t be accounted for
when it has reached the end of its operational life. This sounds ridiculous but in a large water company that has hundreds of thousands of assets then the
organisational structure of the asset base and the corresponding information about the asset base is fundamental.
This asset information and the assets themselves are an essential part of the operation of any industry, not specifically the water industry and if the asset
information isn’t correct then problems will ensue.
Smart comes into this as it is information about the assets, it is basic but it is necessary and “Smart” to have a record of everything that you have and if you
don’t how can you operate efficiently and “Smartly”
Smart at Layer 2 – Instrumentation – Is it Smart, Dumb or both?
This is where the “Smart Water Industry,” typically begins, in the collection of data at the proverbial “ coal face,” and represents anything from
operational measurement data of what is happening at a treatment works, to data in and around the network (be it distribution or collection to in fact
customer consumption data as to what is actually be consumed at the customer’s premises.
The problem is that the industry collects a plethora of data. In my estimation, it is around 300 million pieces of data in the UK alone for operational data and if
the European Union’s water customers were universally metered then it would produce around 7 billion pieces of hourly consumption data every day.
There have been huge developments in instrumentation in the Water Industry and the meter or sensor of today can be incredibly intelligent or actually very
simple and dumb. Let me put together some terms.
Page 15

Monitor – An instrument that gives an actual reading or value
Sensor – A device that gives a state, for an example a switch or float that senses whether it is on or off
Intelligent Monitor – An instrument that knows not only what it is recording but also records other thing such as its own status and the quality of the data
that it is recording
Dumb Monitor – An instrument or sensor that gives one value. i.e. most domestic water meters or a float switch
There are of course applications for all sorts of monitors and sensors across the water industry and it doesn’t make sense for all of them to be “Smart,” in fact
dumb is absolutely fine where the application calls for it. The US Navy coined the principle of “KISS” (Keep it Simple Stupid) in the 1960’s and this especially
applies to instrumentation. A large water company can have thousands if not tens of thousands of instruments, if simplicity of the monitoring asset base is not
kept simple then the asset base is bound to start failing.
However, where necessary Smart Instrumentation as a part of a control system or a SCADA system is necessary. Where Smart Instrumentation is beneficial
then it should be installed. With all instruments though the instrumentation lifecycle must be respected. It is important to bear in mind the following questions
when installing instrumentation
1. What is the instrument or sensors purpose? What is the data that it collects going to be used for?
2. Is the instrument or sensor right for the application that it is going to be used on
3. How is the instrument going to be installed? Are the right conditions available?
4. How is the instrument going to be operated and maintained?
5. How is the instrument going to be replaced?
The importance of instrumentation is that the data that it collects must be right and if any of these questions remain unanswered then the quality of the data
is likely to be at risk. If the quality of the data is poor then the information that it feeds will also be poor which will allow the decisions that are made on the
back of the information to lead to false assumptions. The alternative is that the quality of the data is good and the information that the data creates is good
and informs the operator correctly about the state of the operational system. With knowledge of the state of the system then informed decisions can be taken
and the resources that the company has used to maximum efficiency and “Smart operation”
Smart at Layer 3 – Collection & Communication
This is perhaps where the real technical begins and has its fundamental heart in communication protocols. For those of you who think telemetry and
communication is a “black box” and the signal magically gets from the instrument to the screen in the office by some unknown method then speak to your
telemetry engineers. Over the past few years I’ve heard phrases like “semantics” and “standards” also I’ve had instrumentation suppliers talk to me about
analogue loops (I knew this one), HART, Wireless Hart, Profibus, Profinet, Fieldbus, GSM/GPRS, Ethernet and then my head explodes and then somebody says
to me WITS and WITS DNP3 and more recently WITS-IOT.
WITS or the Water Industry Telemetry Standard is fast becoming the industry standard in the UK to bring all of the things that are in the “black box” of
telemetry together. WITS was explained in an article by Charles Williams an abstract of which is below
All UK water companies use telemetry and SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) to monitor and control their remote assets. Traditionally,
telemetry consists of a field device which is linked to a master station using a variety of telemetry protocols and communication methods.
This provides data and information for the purpose of monitoring and controlling the process and the associated plant. The development of a Water Industry
Telemetry Standard (WITS) Protocol for communications between components of a SCADA system – ie a WITS master station and its remotely connected WITS
field devices – was first considered by a working group from the UK water industry and major suppliers in 2003. Together, they developed a WITS distributed
network protocol (DNP) based on the internationally recognised DNP3 Standard in use across the world.
However, the WITS-DNP3 Protocol Standard is still in the process of adoption in the UK. During AMP6, water companies are placing more reliance on teleme-
try to provide the data they require to improve both their operational efficiency and their customer service. So there is an increasing need to have common
standards for telemetry so that the required data can be collected in the most efficient manner.
The WITS-DNP3 Protocol Standard would be of enormous benefit to both water companies and suppliers. Water companies would benefit from increased
product choice, reduced cost, simpler configuration and improved data quality. Suppliers would benefit from greater market opportunities and the potential
to reduce development and support costs.
To have a standard across the industry as to how different bits of equipment communicated with each other brings the benefits of interoperability and the fact
that suppliers don’t have to offer multiple communications offerings for the same instrument. It also means that those who are specifying instruments don’t
have to worry whether they will talk to each other.
More recently the WITS association has started to develop WITS for the Internet of Things – named WITS-IOT.
Page 16

Smart at Layer 4 & 5 – Data Management & Display, Fusion & Analysis
The Water Industry has often been described as being “Data Rich & Information Poor,” literally meaning that, as an industry, we don’t use our data. The
problem with data is that it is often been described as having far too much of it from a number of different sources that don’t talk to each other and in fact the
data isn’t transferable across systems. From Layer 3 this is often a prob-
lem with semantics and also where the data is collected across systems.
Before a few months ago I’d never seen the way a standard network in
a standard large organisation is structured. I’d heard of SCADA, I’d heard
of the Internet of Things of course but how this exists in the corporate
systems was a mystery.
The important point of the diagram is that it shows that the Internet
where of course the Internet of Things resides in the world is
completely the other side of the corporate network to industrial
control systems and the SCADA systems. What this of course means is
that instrumentation and the control side of things are not connected to
the internet by anyway of things apart from through a corporate system
which is managed in terms of security. This provides an element of Cyber
Security to the system as a whole.
All of this is fine but what is actually at these levels? This is basically the levels where the intelligent stuff happens. It is a level on the plant & industrial
control side of things where SCADA & PLCs exists controlling the plant on the treatment works and the networks. This is separate from the internet side of
things which are on the opposite side of the corporate system. Thus the corporate system is a barrier between the industrial control system and the internet
separating something which has the concentration of security built into it from the internet which is basically insecure.
On the internet side of things and more recently in cloud computing there are systems that can provide data with instruments connected to the “internet of
things” but these are for information only and don’t provide control without first going through the corporate system (i.e. a Citrix type environment).
At this level we have SCADA, PLCs, control systems but we also have things like asset management systems, SAP, Click and other data & information
management systems. It is at this level where all of the disparate systems within the company that can potentially be brought together to convert data into
usable information exists.
All of this is actually quite complicated and there is a misunderstanding about what fits where and what is at which level so in summary (and not all inclusive)
Level 1 – Physical Assets – Pipes, tanks, valves, penstocks; basically anything physical within the water industry
Level 2 – Instrumentation – This is as simple as it sounds but is all inclusive of all types of instrumentation from a simple float switch all the way up to a
multi-parameter sonde that analyses for 20 different parameters. However if that instrument has a control function then the instrument is at level 2 where
the control function is at level 4
Level 3 – Collection & Communication – Simple but complex and it is a black art to most in terms of how you get your data from your instrument to your
corporate system be it by Fieldbus, Profibus or whatever communication system that you choose.
Level 4 – Data management & display – This is where industrial control systems, PLCs, SCADA, telemetry mimics and systems but also alarm systems in the
operational world. In the asset management world it would also include elements of systems like SAP or a CMMS or asset management system. In a lot of
companies around the world it could also include the “excel spreadsheet or the access database
Level 5 – Data Fusion & Analysis – The point of level 5 is to bring different databases and systems within a corporate entity and convert the information within
into usable information. Bringing a consent database together with a LIMS system with the online sensors on site together to say “everything is ok” or “help
there is a problem”
The problem with all of this is it is difficult to see how this fits into the current water industry – Theory is fine but what does this look like in practise and the
other question “what does this look in practice and how does it help to save money.
This is probably where, we as an industry, are failing to find the potential that the industry has. In order to explain let’s have a look at a few scenarios as to
what this looks like.
Scenario 1 – The management of flow across a large wastewater company
A simple scenario and very common across most water companies as flow is the fundamental point of everything that we do. A UK water & sewerage
company is typically made up of 100s if not thousands of wastewater treatment works. There is a legal obligation to measure the flow passing through those
treatment works. Now how does the measurement of flow fit into the five levels?
Page 17

Level 1 – The treatment works itself, the flow measurement device be it a pipe, a flume or a weir
Level 2 – The measurement instrument itself
Level 3 – The controller that calculates the flow and converts it into a signal and then transmits it into the corporate system
Level 4 – The telemetry system that displays it but also the system that records that flow meter as an asset (usually SAP) and also raises tasks to operate and
maintain that instrument in a correct state
Level 5 – A separate system that sits above and takes the data, analyses it, confirms that it is correct and interacts with other systems to build a picture of what
is flowing and where,
The smart element of this system looks at not just the flow at the treatment works but all of the flows and sensors at different points within the collection &
treatment network and tracks what flows are going where. It interacts with event duration monitors on CSOs, sewer level monitors and attempts to make an
assessment of what flows are going where and in what conditions. If an unusual flow condition exists then it either takes action or it raises an alert for a team
to investigate.
Scenario 2 – Potable Water Network Management
This is where the SWAN Layers diagram originated and is probably the first “Smart Water System” per se. Again splitting the system into the different layers
Level 1 – The pipes & valves within the distribution networks
Level 2 – The flow & pressure monitors within the distribution network but also in more modern times could include the customer’s Smart Water Meter as an
input
Level 3 – The data transmission method from the flow meter itself so typically GSM/GPRS or in terms of the customer’s supply meter could include a AMR or
AMI system
Level 4 – The telemetry system which records what is flow and what position within the DMA but could also include the database that records the consumption
of each individual customer and what are the inputs and outputs from each individual area
Level 5 – The system which analyses where all of the flows are going and attempts to look for anomalies in the data and alerts where something is wrong.
Examples from the use of the flow & pressure data are well documented across the industry. The establishment of successive monitoring strategies in the use
of flow & pressure have reduced some companies within the world from non-revenue water use above 20% to usage in single figures through the use of data.
One of the most famous systems is the WONE system that is run by the Portuguese Water Company EPAL where non-revenue water was reduced from around
the 23-25% mark to 7% in as little as three years.
However, there are further potential benefits on the domestic front by informing customers. This approach, which companies like Thames Water are taking, are
well understood and helps to reduce customer side leakage and helps customers to use water more efficiently. Estimates of savings of this approach are known
to save approximately 15% of water use.
Scenario 3 – Connecting Wastewater Collection with Wastewater Treatment
An approach that has not been fully realised as yet but is close to being realised in countries like Denmark is to connect the wastewater collection network so
that there is a holistic multi-modelled and controlled system from the customer’s property to the final point of discharge from the treatment works.
Level 1 – The collection network, CSOs, pumping stations wastewater treatment works assets
Level 2 – Rainfall Radar, Rain gauges, sewer level monitors, CSO monitors, level monitors, floats flow meters, quality monitors
Level 3 – Associated data communication systems likely to include radio, GSM/GPRS and also standard telemetry outstations
Level 4 – Telemetry display systems, SAP, Asset Management systems, PLCs, discrete controllers, SCADA, CMMS systems
Level 5 – Multiple model based control systems, artificial neural networks, network and treatment works performance models.
The theory of this approach is to discover what is going on as part of the holistic process at any one time from rainfall radar predicting when and how much
rainfall is going to affect a collection network and the system reacting depending upon how much sewage is contained in the collection system and predicting
how much volume is required in storage and passing flows on more rapidly or more slowly to the treatment works. Once flows arrive at the treatment works
using as much network balancing as possible the treatment control model takes over taking data from multiple measurement points within the treatment
works and using process modelling and measured treatment parameters controlling the different systems in the works to get the best possible treatment for
the best environmental benefit by measuring the state within the discharge water course and running an environmental model to provide the least
environmental impact.
Elements of this have been proved with reductions in power costs of up to 20%, chemical costs of up to 50% and a much more stable process to provide best
environmental operation for best environmental cost.
Discussion
The Smart Water Industry has so much potential and is starting to become mainstream within the Global Water Industry. There are elements of it that the
Page 18

News:
Salt Lake City Selects Smart Water
Network Modelling Technology
Water Companies have been doing for many years already as part of a “ business as usual” culture and is fact just good operational & engineering practices. In
fact , arguably, the Smart Water Industry is just the next step for the Water Industry to take in its drive to become more and more efficient and to turn certain
part of the industry in to a “production factory “ approach. And as with everything this next step is not suitable for everything. There is no point, for example,
to put a control system on a septic tank but the majority of all of the flows of the industry as a whole is treated through a small percentage of the largest plants
and networks and so in this case the smallest of efficiencies can have a large impact and this is the niche where it fits in
Water companies have adopted solutions in part. A good number of Water Companies have adopted the solutions offered by companies such as I2O or TaKaDu,
some companies have developed their own such as EPAL with their WONE systems and have been very open about sharing their experiences. The reduction of
non-revenue water is the obvious place where the Smart Water Industry exists as the business case is not only a regulatory imperative but makes good financial
sense to as potable water is a product.
Equally the case for Smart Water Meters is also an easy case to make. It provides more data but as long as there are systems in place to process that data and not
only bill customers correctly but also help them to identify potential losses so that they can minimise their bill then it makes sense to bot customer & company.
These are the parts of the “Smart Water Industry” that have been readily adopted as either the business case is simple, the benefits understandable and the
solution potentially simple as in the case of Smart Water Meters.
Where things get more complicated (as they usually are) is in the wastewater part of the business where instrumentation is more difficult and the complexity
of both the collection and treatment systems more of a challenge and the benefits are less well understood. The question is how do we make this part of the
industry “Business as Usual?”
The answer probably is to better define the benefits, to collaborate more readily between both supply companies and engineering consultancies to better
understand the benefits of the options and of course provide case study after case study after case study.
Innovyze, has recently announced that the Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities (SLC Public Utilities), Utah, has selected and deployed the company’s
industry-leading and award-winning InfoWater Executive Suite and InfoSurge to support its large-scale, enterprise-wide geospatial water distribution network
modelling and management needs. Used in concert, InfoWater and InfoSurge deliver maximum effectiveness in addressing critical design, operational and
water quality issues.
SLC Public Utilities provides quality drinking water to approximately 340,000 residents of the City and the east bench of Salt Lake County, including the
communities of Cottonwood Heights, Holladay City and Mill Creek Township. It also delivers water to portions of South Salt Lake and Murray. SLC Public Utilities
has multiple source waters and redundancy throughout its system, including mountain streams, surface water reservoirs, and a network of groundwater wells
and springs. Its water system comprises some 1,400 miles of pipes.
“ArcGIS-centric InfoWater and InfoSurge allow our engineers and GIS professionals to work synergistically and reliably share critical modelling information,”
said Nick Kryger, GISP, GIS & IT Administrator for SLC Public Utilities. “In addition, both solutions are very easy to learn and use, and are backed by excellent
technical support. They will help us optimize our capital improvement, sustainability and resiliency programs.”
Unlike competing products, InfoWater’s innovative network modelling technology addresses every facet of utility infrastructure management and protection
— delivering the highest rate of return in the industry. Built atop ArcGIS (Esri, Redlands, CA) and winner of the ArcGIS for Desktop Based Application Award,
InfoWater seamlessly integrates sophisticated predictive analytics, systems dynamics and optimization functionality directly within the powerful ArcGIS setting.
From fire flow and dynamic water quality simulations, valve criticality and energy cost analysis to pressure zone management and advanced Genetic Algorithm
and Particle Swarm optimization, the suite comes equipped with everything water utility owner-operators need to best plan, design, operate, secure and
sustain their transmission and distribution systems.
The software also serves as a base platform for advanced smart network modelling, capital planning, and asset management extensions. Among these critical
applications are IWLive (real-time modelling and forecasting); InfoWater UDF (unidirectional flushing); CapPlan (risk-based capital planning); InfoMaster and
InfoMaster Mobile (risk-based asset integrity management and condition assessment); InfoMaster LCCA (optimal life cycle cost scheduling of pipe replacement
and rehabilitation); InfoWater MSX (multi-species water quality modelling); InfoWater BTX (event/particle backtracking); InfoSurge (surge/transient analysis
and design); Sustainability (carbon footprint calculation); BalanceNet (real-time energy management and operations optimization); PressureWatch (real-time
network hydraulic Integrity monitoring); QualWatch (real-time network water quality integrity monitoring); SCADAWatch (real-time business intelligence
and performance monitoring); DemandWatch (water demand forecasting); and DemandAnalyst(real-time water demand and diurnal pattern estimations).
All over the world continue to recognize the benefits of Innovyze advanced geospatial smart water network modelling technology,” said Paul F. Boulos, Ph.D.,
BCEEM, Hon.D.WRE, Dist.D.NE, Dist.M.ASCE, NAE, President, COO and Chief Innovation Officer of Innovyze. “InfoWater’s remarkable success is due to its
combination of powerful advantages: proven capabilities, rich features set, state-of-the-art optimization, seamless GIS data exchange capabilities, short
learning curve and an unparalleled track record of successful implementation. All these factors set it apart from the competition by enabling users to
complete better projects faster than ever before, with a whole new level of interactivity. This gives them an unbeatable competitive advantage and helps them
to thrive. We are proud that Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities has made us a partner of choice in its continued pursuit of engineering excellence
and environmental stewardship.”
Page 19

Article:
Using energy harvesting to
support water networks
Introduction
Battery powered monitoring systems are commonplace on the potable water network. They are reliable and cost efficient to fit. They have only one drawback
– battery replacement - an everlasting OPEX legacy of cost and waste disposal. We aim to address this issue by replacing the battery with a long-life energy
harvester, working off the flow of water. Generally, the industry wants more data; better data = better informed decisions – the familiar ‘Big Data’ mantra.
Achieving this at reasonable cost is the driving force behind the project. We are in the application phase at present for an Innovate UK call – we hope to create
interest amongst WIPAC readers – your input will help steer us toward a successful application and a useful conclusion to the R&D project.
The technology
Energy Harvesting (EH) concerns the conversion of unused or wasted
ambient energy, such as kinetic, thermal and light, into small amount of
electrical energy. It aims to provide reliable power supply for small
electronic devices, in particular wireless sensors. One of the research hotspots
is flow energy harvesting which generates electricity from fluidic flow. It can
potentially be deployed in HVAC ducts in buildings as well as gas, water or even
oil supply pipes. A common method to generate electricity from flow is to use
a turbine. However, a mechanical bearing is required to enable the turbine to
rotate smoothly which causes friction losses and reduced lifetime. Therefore,
turbines require frequent maintenance to achieve long term service. This is
not desirable for autonomous wireless sensors which are meant to be
maintenance free.
Researchers at the Universities of Southampton and Exeter have developed
a novel energy harvester that converts airflow into mechanical oscillation. By
coupling transduction mechanisms, such as electromagnetic and piezoelectric
with the oscillation, electrical energy can be generated. As there is no bearing
involved, the lifetime of the device can be significantly improved to over 15
years.
The airflow energy harvester consists of a cantilever beam with a wing at the
tip that faces the direction of the airflow (Fig 1). A bluff body is placed in front of the wing and plays a key part in the oscillation of the structure. When the
airflow meets the bluff body, turbulence is created and pushes the wing upwards (Fig 2a). When the spring force of the cantilever beam is greater than the
lift, the wing starts swinging downwards. When the cantilever springs back to the initial position, the wing is exposed to the turbulence again and the cycle
is repeated (Fig 2b). By appropriate design and positioning of the bluff body, and by tuning the resonant frequency of the cantilever spring, the structure
resonates. Experimentally, the harvester works from airflow as slow as 1.5 m/s and generates 1 mW of power in airflow of 2 m/s. Its output power increases
with the third power of the flow speed. The harvester has been demonstrated to successfully power a smoke detector in the HVAC duct.
Figure 2: Operation of the oscillating airflow energy harvester (a) start of the oscillation (b) continuous oscillation.
Following the successful development of the oscillating airflow energy harvester, the University of Exeter, Piezotag Ltd and Severn Trent Water are now looking
to work together to migrate the same concept to water. As the water is much denser than air, it is expected the output power of the energy harvester will be
significantly increased.
Figure 1: The oscillation airflow energy harvester
Page 20

Sensor integration and ‘data out’:
Harvesting energy from the flow of water is all well and good, provided the industry can use it to improve awareness of their infrastructure’s performance and
use this knowledge to improve service and lower operating costs. We envisage that the EH device will power electronic sensors; pressure plus water quality and
flow. The latter may not require a sensor - Energy output from the device may well correlate with the speed of water flow. Should this be the case, the proposed
system could offer flow, pressure and water quality data RF transmitted to an existing data handling gateway. Our intention is to test LoRa (TM) bidirectional
communications technology (RX : 863- 873MHz , TX : 864-873MHz).
Test deployment:
Test installations will be into a TBH – they are relatively accessible (and large)
entry points.
Future installations:
Following successful tests, we envisage integration of the unit into pipe fittings
such as valve bodies, tees, elbows and short lengths of ‘Smart Pipe’. Retrofit is
possible into TBH units, unused tees and exposed pipe work.
Role in the potable water system:
The exciting question is - Where will you want to deploy an ultra-low
maintenance, low cost data creation engine? Better pressure and flow mapping
of the network is one possible use case, mapping chemical dispersal (intentional
and unwanted) is another. The use-case will determine some of the aims of the
project and the choice of sensors in particular.
Your input:
The potable water networks are large and aged (in parts). Monitoring such a large
infrastructure is OPEX-heavy, but where do you feel the weight most? Your input
is critical to us – we aim to make and service the ‘vehicle’ but you are the drivers!
For more information please contact:
Dr Dibin Zhu, Lecturer
Energy Harvesting Research Group
College of Engineering, Mathematics and
Physical Sciences
University of Exeter
Exeter, UK
EX4 4QF
E: d.zhu@exeter.ac.uk
T: +44 (0)1392 724660
Geoff Haswell
Piezotag Ltd
E: geoffhaswell@piezotag.com
T: 07809 745 982
News:
Environment Agency awards £10m
South East MEICA framework contract
The Environment Agency has awarded its South East Mechanical, Electrical, Instrumentation, Control and Automation framework contract worth an estimated
£10 million
The Environment Agency needs to maintain its Flood and Coastal Risk Management (FCRM), Navigation and other sites and assets. Services to be provided
under the contract include delivery of mechanical and electrical preventative and reactive maintenance, repair, overhaul, breakdown, general engineering
services, refurbishments and project work. The work is needed for a range assets, including pumping stations, weirs, sluice gates, telemetry outstations and
other water control structures.
The framework agreement consists of a single lot covering routine planned preventative maintenance, provision of a 24 hour 365 day reactive works service
and project works.
Main place of performance is predominantly in counties in the south east England, together with London and Greater London.
The framework has been awarded for an initial period of 2 years with options to extend for up to a further 2 years.
Integrated Water Services Ltd, ECS Engineering Services Ltd and Amalgamated Construction Ltd have all been awarded a place on the framework, three of 11
firms who bid for the work.
Page 21

January 2017
Institute of Water - Eastern Section - Dragon’s Den
30th
January 2017
Cranfield University , UK
Hosted by Institute of Water & Cranfield University
February 2017
Market Opening
1st
February 2017
Think Tank Museum, Birmingham
Hosted by the Sensors for Water Interest Group
8th Smart Energy Europe & the Future Utility
2nd
- 3rd
February 2017
London Park Plaza, London UK
Hosted by Oliver Kinross
March/April 2017
Smart Wastewater Networks
8th
March 2017
Merseyside Maritime Museum, Liverpool, UK
Smart Water Networks
21st
March 2017
Hilton Birmingham Metropole, Birmingham, UK
Hosted by the Faversham House Group
Smart Water Systems
24th
-25th
April 2017
London, UK
Hosted by the SMi Group
May/ June 2017
Specification & Installation of Sensors
3rd
May 2017
Principality Stadium, Cardiff, Wales
SWAN 2017
9th
-10th
May 2017
Tower Hotel, London UK
Hosted by the SWAN Forum
12th
Specialized Conference in ICA
11th
-14th
June 2017
Quebec City, Canada
Hosted by the International Water Association
September 2017
Sensing in Water 2017
27th
-28th
September 2017
Nottingham Belfry, Nottingham, UK
Page 22
Conferences, Events,
Seminars & Studies
Conferences, Seminars & Events
Market Opening Workshop
Where: Think Tank Museum, Birmingham, UK
When: 1st
February 2017
Description
From April 2017, over 1.2 million eligible businesses and other non-house-
hold customers in England will be able to choose their supplier of water and
wastewater retail services. There is an expectation that the opening of the
non-household water market will support business customers to become more
water-efficient and will stimulate benefits for customers in the form of lower
bills and better value for money, better customer service, and more tailored
services to suit individual customers’ needs.
In this new open water market, water retailers will seek to offset low
retail margins by delivering innovative and value-adding services to
customers; services that will also differentiate them from their competitors.
Both retailers and wholesale companies will be looking to meet their
obligations to customers, to the market operator and to each other at the
lowest possible operating cost.
This workshop is aimed at water retailers, wholesalers and the industry sup-
ply chain and will focus on the role of sensor technology, data and the insight
it delivers in enabling market reform. Early opportunities are likely to focus
on metering and meter estate management, billing, water efficiency, surface
water management, trade effluent, customer engagement and private
network management.
Smart Wastewater Networks
Where: Merseyside Maritime Museum, Liverpool
When: 8th
March 2017
The use of sensors in the Wastewater Network has been sparse and far
between. The complexity of wastewater collection has meant that this
development within the Wastewater industry has been delayed. However
with the requirement for event duration monitoring, improvements in sensor
technologies and modelling software, the industry is starting to develop
improved methods of managing the Wastewater Network.
In this SWIG Workshop on Smart Wastewater Networks we will discuss the
drivers and developments in the Wastewater Network..

0
Eastern Area Innovation Showcase
- transforming the water industry
Vincent Building
Cranfield University
Cranfield, MK43 0AL
30th January 2017
10:00-16:00
Book your place:
http://tinyurl.com/dragonwater
Page 23

WIPAC Monthly - November 2016

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WIPAC Monthly - November 2016