Today is the 32nd World Water Day and the beginning of the 37th “China Water Week”. The theme of this year’s commemoration of “World Water Day” and “China Water Week” is: “Make good use of water resources and manage water resources strictly and carefully”.

As the global population continues to grow and water consumption increases, the water industry needs to consume a lot of energy to produce and provide clean water and treat sewage. It is estimated that the water sector accounts for 3.5% to 4% of the world’s total electricity consumption. However, if the right measures are taken to improve energy efficiency and recycle energy, it is estimated that the industry’s energy consumption can be reduced by 15% by 2040. 2

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Today, the global water industry faces many challenges, such as climate change, water scarcity, aging infrastructure, rapid urbanization and rising energy costs. To address these challenges, water companies can use digital solutions to improve operations and optimize strategic decisions.

Continuous advances in real-time sensing and monitoring technology are driving the integration of intelligent systems that improve process efficiency and accuracy. This includes automatic control mechanisms, advanced water quality and flow monitoring, and the implementation A1S61PN of efficient water metering systems to manage water consumption.

By integrating smart sensors for the drive chain equipment of inverters, motors and PLCS to provide equipment condition monitoring, water companies can take preventive action on the equipment they manage, thereby improving asset management efficiency. However, the level of adoption of data analytics, cloud services and automation remains inconsistent across organizations and regions.

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While many companies in the water industry are currently only using digital tools for specific functions, the potential to digitally transform entire industries is huge, with the following three areas in particular promising fundamental improvements.

Water quality management

Traditional water quality testing methods are time-consuming and laborious, so maintaining consistent water quality in drinking water and sewage treatment systems has always been a challenge for water companies. Typically, the manual process involves taking samples, testing them in a lab, and then sharing the results with plant operators after days or weeks of testing.

When there is a water quality problem with a high total suspended solids (TSS) content, manual intervention is required, followed by further testing to confirm that the water quality is up to standard. This approach is not quick and easy and may result in a delayed response to serious water quality problems or unnecessary intervention in the meantime in water quality problems that can be repaired naturally.

Digital water quality sensors are installed in the system to collect and A1S61PN share accurate, real-time data through the Internet of Things (IoT). Once the sensors detect any anomalies, they notify the plant operator immediately.

Another advantage of using digital water quality sensors is that smarter communication with the chemical feeding system enables automatic water quality regulation without human intervention. For example, when pH levels drop, chemical feeding systems can automatically regulate water quality by increasing the amount of alkaline material pumped. In addition, a networked inverter that automatically adjusts the speed and torque of the pump motor optimizes the flow control of alkaline substances and ensures that the pump operates at the optimum point of efficiency (BEP).