Case Study: Smart monitoring enable saving energy, water and maintenance cost
Kymen Vesi is responsible for water supply management, as well as water treatment and disposal for over 100 000 residents in the Kotka, south Kouvola, and Pyhtää regions in southern Finland. Kymenlaakson Vesi produces clean water for Kymen Vesi and aims for eco-efficiency throughout its operations.
In a reverse osmosis plant, more than one third of all water is treated to remove fluoride.
The reverse osmosis (RO) plant is an important part of the water treatment process at Kymenlaakson Vesi. Here, over a third of all the water is treated for fluoride elimination. To ensure performance at the RO plant, Kymenlaakson Vesi is working together with Viimatech in utilizing Internet of Things (IoT) to monitor energy usage of pumps.
The challenge: Managing pump efficiency and maintenance
Pumping operations at the Kymenlaakson Vesi RO plant require a continuous energy supply.
However, the exact energy requirements are hard to estimate with conventional methods, as every pump system has its own 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.
Pump operation and maintenance optimization has reduced own energy consumption by 20%
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 points of potential energy-efficiency improvement and recognize the maintenance needs of pumps.
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 fieldbuses. The software processes the gathered data, calculating energy usage and output volumes for all pumps.
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 smart planning and preventive actions to ensure efficiency and sustainability at the RO plant.
Results
The Viimatech monitoring solution has been in operation 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:
- 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
- Optimising the amount of reject water to improve energy efficiency
Text: Aki Mäenpää
