Remote monitoring for water and wastewater plants

A leader in measurement instrumentation, Endress+Hauser offers a cloud-based monitoring solution for the optimisation and automation of water networks – Netilion Water Network Insights (NWNI).

Suited for both densely populated and remote areas, NWNI gives full transparency of water networks by monitoring water quantity, quality, pressure and temperature.

This monitoring solution can connect to all levels of a water supply system and offers service providers and water boards customised solutions from a single source. These include everything from field devices, components for data transfer, data recording and data archiving to data evaluation, as well as forecasting functions.

With NWNI, users have 24/7 complete access to all measuring data gathered in a water network and transmitted to the cloud. This data can be accessed via control room, laptop, tablet or smartphone. The web-based visualisation of water networks gives users complete control.

In case of failures or if limit values are exceeded, an alarm is sent automatically via email or SMS to a smart device or the control room.

There are a variety of evaluation and display options such as time curves, diagrams, tables or trend displays. By incorporating other data sources, such as weather data, it is also possible to create trend analyses and forecasts, like run-off behaviour during heavy rainfall, water demand or expected water availability.

Communication is always encrypted and tamper-proof, even in remote regions with a self-sufficient power supply and wireless data transmission.

Drinking and process water Water infrastructure can be in difficult-to-access regions and spaced far apart. This can increase the time and cost of maintenance.

NWNI is the ideal solution for minimising routine walkarounds while still maintaining a full overview. It guarantees reliable control of water flows in spring tapping, elevated reservoirs, pipelines, and in pumping and distribution stations.

This makes it possible to closely track a broad range of measured values and quality parameters.

NWNI offers:

• comprehensive monitoring of water quantity and quality around the clock

• correct allocation and accounting for costs in custody transfer

• reliable location of leaks by monitoring overnight water consumption (non-revenue water)

• targeted, data-driven decisions and reliable forecasts through direct integration of current weather data

• high energy efficiency due to the optimisation of pumping times.

Wastewater and complying with environmental regulations NWNI assists wastewater works to comply with meeting all parameters (like characteristic values for water quality, limit values, substance concentrations, or maximum pollution loads), as well as legal requirements for inflow and outflow conditions.

This is done through:

• reliable forecasts of inflows and outflows or water quality using current weather data and analysis algorithms

• optimal sizing of wastewater treatment plants through the comprehensive knowledge of substance concentration and material loads in catchment areas

• reliable control of the legally defined water quality in the effluent of wastewater treatment plants using devices for liquid analysis (pH value, oxygen, ammonium or phosphate)

• accurate billing of wastewater charges thanks to precise flow and concentration measurement

• minimised risk of harm to biological processes in wastewater treatment plants by monitoring certain substance concentrations in the inlet.

Custody transfer In custody transfer with water, the smallest inaccuracies in flow measurement can cause massive shortfalls in the annual billing – both for suppliers and consumers. However, while operating 24/7 in the water business, it is hardly realistic to remove flow meters for test measurements or recalibrations, particularly for large water pipelines up to 3 m in diameter.

Despite this constraint, the integrated Heartbeat Technology testing function developed by Endress+Hauser makes it possible to monitor flow meters continuously, verify their functional capability, and thus provide evidence of consistently high measuring accuracy within the specification. This enables assured compliance with the regulations that apply to custody transfer measuring points – during operation and without interrupting the process.

Another unique feature is that users can start and view this verification function directly via the cloud. The verification logs are generated automatically and stored securely, for later audits or for the drafting documentation that complies with statutory requirements. In coordination with regulation authorities or weights and measures services, this enables legally stipulated calibration intervals to be extended.

Water system operators therefore experience lower costs when operating custody transfer measuring points. NWNI offers water treatment plants and wastewater treatment plants reliable monitoring, without being present in the field.