Key points
Water is a critical resource for all industries, whether they are producing oil and gas, food, pulp and paper, or pharmaceuticals. Regardless of scale, water is vital to every step of the production process as input to the final product and every step of the production process, from heating, cooling and cleaning, to transportation.
More than 150billion gallons of water are used every day within the manufacturing, mining, oil and gas and power industries alone. [1] And in Europe, 54% of the total uptake of water for all human activities is used by industries.[2]
Industrial processes require dependable, high quality water and fluids that always protect the environment, the assets and the bottom line. The challenge for today’s industries is how to optimise their industrial processes, as water scarcity from climate change, urbanisation and increasing commercial and regulatory demands place ever greater strain on operations. This issue of sustainability and committing to reducing energy and water is a critical issue for all industries nowadays.
Here, Vinayak Subramanyam from Xylem Water Solutions – specialists in Industrial water management across mission-critical operations from power plants, pharmaceutical formulators to refineries, and more – explores the role of smart water to turn water and fluid management from an expense into an advantage.
Challenges of traditional water and wastewater management
Historically, industrial water usage has always been an expensive outlay for industries, but this has more often been overshadowed by other elements of the core process. Figures close to $9 billion have been associated with industrial water acquisition, discharge, treatment and reuse.[3] Despite this, it remains a crucial supporting aspect in every industrial process.
When we factor in that that around 70% of industrial companies lack awareness[4] when assets are due for maintenance, or upgrade, we see the threat that can seriously impact continuity and efficiency if attention is not given to smarter strategies for optimising industrial water and wastewater management.
[1] Estimated use of water in the United States in 2015, https://doi.org/10.3133/cir1441
[2] ‘Industrial wastewater treatment – pressures on Europe’s environment’, EEA Report No 23/2018
[3] Bluefield Research, ‘Opportunities in U.S. Industrial Water: Market Size, Trends & Forecast 2018-2022,’ December 2018
[4] Vanson Bourne, “Unplanned Downtime,” 2017 2 4. Philip K. Verleger, Jr., “$200 Crude, the Economic
As seen in the infographic above, water intake and consumption for industrial processes are critical elements of a well-functioning and continuous industrial system, followed by the wastewater as a result of these processes.
By considering each element in the process, taking a holistic approach rather than isolating standalone functions, it is possible to integrate the sourcing, treatment and reuse of fluids to increase productivity, profit and sustainability.
At each step of the industrial water cycle there are several different equipment and technologies necessary to ensure a smooth process. One of the most important and often underestimated equipment is the water pump.
The pump is the single most important component in critical functions in an industrial plant. From the generation of steam, to cooling and removing excess heat, to removing waste and effluent; pumps keep the plant running smoothly and efficiently.
However, the pump is often a neglected factor, despite their importance for daily operation performance. If one pump is out of line, it can cause a disastrous sequence of events running industries into unexpected and costly downtime.
Another important component to the industrial water cycle is wastewater management and treatment.
The most common outputs from industry, albeit of differing type and quantity, are wastewater effluents, cooling system purges and evaporation and steam purges to release pressure.
Regulations demand effective and efficient treatment of such Industrial wastewater before their release to the environment or the sewer system. For example, industries are expected to adhere to regulations regarding micropollutants and other harmful substances that pose threats to surface water sources, and to ensure their treatment and safe disposal. Many of these substances are extremely difficult to treat with conventional wastewater technologies, and this can also have implications on the resulting energy use and efficiency of removal.
Ensuring productive wastewater management and treatment through a smart water approach will provide increased productivity, monitoring, and data to better control the effluent stream going back to the environment, which is essential to successfully meet discharge and environmental regulations and ensure effective reporting.
Digitisation of wastewater processes therefore reduces time spent by operations managers on maintenance and quality assurance, enabling increased productivity, reliability and environmental safety.
Getting smarter with water & wastewater management
Smart solutions can be broadly classified into three main areas:
Intelligent equipment, including pumps, mixers, treatment and sensors, capable of self-optimisation for enhanced performance. These enables plant managers to decrease the time and effort needed to monitor and maintain their critical technologies.
Smart Networks collect information across a number of pieces of equipment to provide real-time reactive management of the system. Failing to collect and analyse the data of industrial water use in production systems translates into huge losses through inefficient resource management.
Connected IoT systems can help to unlock the multitude of data points across all components of the system, enabling plant managers to tap into faster decision-making to avoid bottlenecks and plan timely maintenance, and translating into increased production, and quicker delivery to the market.
Digital Solutions communicate across the devices (IoT), ensuring real-time monitoring and powerful data analytics for useful insights that remove guesswork and worry from industrial water management systems, so it can run at peak efficiency all the time. They enable flexible and responsive processes through quick data analysis and action in response to changing conditions.
This enables plant managers to remotely and continuously monitor operations, conduct predictive maintenance and then make real time adjustments to the operations based on data-driven decisions.
Smart water management – No longer an expense but a business advantage!
Industries digitising every component of production lines, including all water inputs and outputs, are leading the way in efficiencies and higher returns, as well as overcoming challenges associated with water scarcity and quality.
The Industries who lag behind, with a fragmented digital approach, face issues such as increased costs due to inefficient water resource use, risks of downtime, and a lack of awareness and knowledge of issues when they arise.
Additionally, employees continue to perform dangerous tasks and routine maintenance checks that cost time and money, reducing productivity and efficiency.
Water has, and always will be, a precious resource, but when combined with the digital era, it’s no longer an expense, but a business advantage, and the key to significantly reducing total lifecycle costs for industrial customers.
The choice is simple; digitise and innovate your industrial water resource management, or risk falling behind in the race that is the 4th industrial revolution.
For information about how Xylem’s smart water management technology and services can enable you to deliver in the reliability, efficiency and safety stakes and reduce operational and maintenance spend, visit www.xylem.com/en-uk
