Smart monitoring enables saving energy, water, and maintenance costs at reverse osmosis plant
Kymen Vesi is responsible for water supply management and water treatment and disposal for over 100.000 residents in the Kotka, South of Kouvola, and Pyhtää regions of Southern Finland. Kymenlaakson Vesi produces clean water for Kymen Vesi and aims for eco-efficiency.
A reverse osmosis (RO) plant is an integral part of the water treatment process at Kymenlaakson Vesi. Over a third of all the water is treated for fluoride elimination. To ensure performance at the RO plant, Kymenlaakson Vesi is working with Viimatech to utilize the Internet of Things (IoT) to monitor the energy usage of pumps.
THE CHALLENGE: MANAGING PUMP EFFICIENCY AND MAINTENANCE
Pumping operations at the Kymenlaakson Vesi RO plant require a continu ous energy supply. However, the exact energy requirements are hard to estimate with conventional methods, as every pump system has its utilization rate and daily varying output volumes.
The RO plant relies on well-functioning pumps. Dysfunctional pumps and maintenance breaks interrupt the water treatment operations causing unnecessary delays and costs.
Kymenlaakson Vesi aims to guarantee continuity at the plant with performance data. The IoT devices help in creating a digital model for monitoring the pumps. The information allows for optimizing energy efficiency and preventive maintenance.
VIIMATECH AND SMART MONITORING OF PUMPS AT THE RO PLANT
Viimatech provides Kymenlaakson Vesi with the technology to measure the energy usage of each pump. The aim is to find potential energy-efficiency improvement points and recognize the pumps' maintenance needs.
The two-part solution consists of data capture devices at the pumping sites communicating directly to the cloud and data analysis in the SmartView software.
Data is collected directly from process sensors and variable speed drives without interfering with the automation system or loading the field buses. The software processes the gathered data, calculating all pumps' energy usage and output volumes.
Kymenlaakson Vesi uses the collected IoT information to make informed decisions on pump maintenance and optimized energy consumption. The IoT setup gives a global view of the operations, allowing for intelligent planning and preventive actions to ensure efficiency and sustainability at the RO plant.
RESULTS
The Viimatech monitoring solution has operated with the Kymenlaakson Vesi RO plant since 2018. The system has provided actionable data from pumping operations to improve several aspects of the water treatment process.
Kymenlaakson Vesi utilizes the Viimatech solution to improve maintenance practices and optimize pumping operations.
The results of the collaboration so far include the following:
• An increase in energy efficiency, reducing the specific energy of pumps by 20 %.
• An increased period between filter cleansing times from 24 hours to 48 hours.
• Decreased cleansing-related water
usage by 4300 m3 per year
• A good tool for monitoring energy in
process changes
• Optimizing the amount of rejected
water to improve energy efficiency
