We have the ability to forecast effective maintenance

August 2, 2021 4:12 pm

Grundfos develops pumps and water solutions that help in energy conservation.

What are the present trends in the water and wastewater segment in India?

The wastewater segment is continuing to transform with the advancement of technology and innovations. Features such as predictive and preventive maintenance offered by intelligent pumps are making water and wastewater management systems more efficient.

It is important to note that the water – energy nexus goes hand-in-hand. The moment a system starts saving on water, there will be an automatic effect on power saving. While the focus still remains on understanding how leakages can be reduced and energy can be saved, these issues are being resolved through smart pumps and water solutions.

Through intelligent solutions that operate on data analytics, we are able to support municipalities and water distribution companies to monitor, report and understand the water usage pattern, enabling them to calculate and strategize on how to reduce the cost per litre of water being supplied.

Additionally, when parameters such as hardness and salinity levels are collected while drawing water, it becomes easier to treat it. We, at Grundfos, are joining hands with industry peers to understand how best we can offer solutions to achieve this.

How is your organisation moving forward towards energy consumption and enhance efficiency?

With sustainability as its core principles, Grundfos develops pumps and water solutions that help in energy conservation without compromising on the product efficiency. Grundfos offers solutions where the variable frequency drive and controls (VFD) is directly mounted on the motor which allows for continuous monitoring of parameters such as pressure of the water and controlling of pressure through a pump system to maintain optimal flow across the water network. VFD prevents the pumps in a system from operating at a full, steady speed, ensuring that the required amount of speed is maintained, therefore conserving energy.

At a municipality level, Grundfos offers its smart digital solutions which allows the system to monitor the intake of the water that is being sent to the treatment facility, collects the related data and stores it as well. Information such as the amount of water coming into the treatment plant and the amount of chemicals that is needed will be provided as inputs to the pumping system. This results in precise and accurate dosing of water. Once treated, the pump systems use VFD to deliver in equitable pressure to all the areas from where the water is then sent to the end consumers.

Additionally, the data collected from a pump’s performance helps with faster diagnosis thus reducing the service downtime. Through such data, we have the ability to forecast effective maintenance for our pumps and determine the right time to do it. Grundfos is currently working with companies like Siemens and Microsoft, to provide preventive and predictive maintenance solutions and ensure an effective management of both power and water supply.

What kind of difference do you see with all these latest technologies in your operational and maintenance practices?

The intelligent solutions help collect all the inputs on how a pumping system is functioning. The user is therefore more equipped to maintain the right amount of inventory. This helps cut down on unwanted inventory, which brings down the capital expenditure and overall cost of maintenance. With IoT and automation, users are also informed on every step of the treatment process, allowing them to run the system efficiently. It is not only the end product that can be made efficient but also the processes as well, every aspect comes into the picture enabling better savings.

Can you highlight some of your automated equipment, which are primarily used for wastewater and recycling processes?

Wastewater is transported generally by gravity lines to the treatment plants. In today’s rapidly growing city limits, it becomes a challenge to get this gravity disposal system. The solution is to build an intermediary pumping station that pumps the wastewater to the nearest treatment plant or a gravity line. The conventional practice is to set up a concrete tank with a pump that operates continuously, regardless of the requirement.

Grundfos offers prefabricated pumping stations equipped with intelligent pumps that recognise the level of wastewater in the tank and automatically switch on the pump. This prefabricated pumping station is a plug-and play system and can be installed with a lesser footprint and minimal installation time. The user is notified with details such as the speed and quantity of wastewater in the tank when a pump begins to operate or stops running.

At the treatment plant, Grundfos offers automated mixers that maintains sludge in motion, ensuring that sludge does not settle inside a tank. Depending on the consistency of the sludge or wastewater, the speed of the mixer and the right amount of oxygen are maintained. This leads to a better decomposition of solids, helping separate clean water faster. Across the entire system and process of wastewater management – from source to the treatment process, Grundfos can provide state of the art solutions.

How are you maintaining safety of process handlers at your wastewater facility?

Today, most wastewater treatment plants come with O&M for certain years from the contractor to ensure that the plant operates smoothly. Authorities are also trained on how to run the entire system with safety, so when the plants are handed over to the authorities after the completion of O&M, the plant can be operated by the end-users with a detailed understanding of safety. A complete training on safety and the precautions to be taken is also given to the operators and end-users. We are building a safer and secure platform to ensure that there are no mishaps, unwarranted or unwanted activities happening inside the system.

What are the new developments that Grundfos is working on?

At Grundfos, we are promoting the Demand Driven Distribution (DDD) system across Tier-II and Tier-III cities, to ensure consistent water supply through monitored amounts of pressure. With municipalities also implementing metering solutions to monitor the amount of water being consumed, DDD’s pressure control ensures that water is supplied only as required by an outlet in a pump network. The alarms and safety measures would also inform operators on any leakages in the system. We are looking at a holistic system where water is supplied with an equated pressure to every individual household. DDD’s predictive maintenance feature reduces the downtime.

DDD has proven to be an ideal solution for energy efficient water supply globally. In countries like Denmark and Cambodia, DDD delivered energy consumption up to 17-20 percent, reducing leakages in the water system by 25 percent to 30 percent. In Romania, we have reduced the leakage of non-revenue water from 50 percent to 25 percent with DDD. We aim to bring similar solutions to India’s growing urban water supply needs. Another solution we are looking at is water treatment for drinking water needs. Traditionally, we find RO systems for drinking water treatment in many households. Reject from RO is difficult to handle and if not addressed properly, this can contaminate fertile land.

At Grundfos, we are working towards promoting solutions such as AQPure that treats surface water for consumption. The removal of organic contaminants ensures that vital minerals are intact making it safe for consumption. Our AQPure solutions can work on solar power, which gives it the flexibility to operate at remote locations without any hassle. Grundfos has provided this at the Sundarbans in West Bengal. The Jal Jeevan Mission recently acknowledged and approved Grundfos AQPure as an innovative technology and recommends this for use under the Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation’s innovation portal.