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What is “Smart Water”?
Smart Water is a concept which embodies a smart approach for effective design, operation and maintenance of water supply utilities.
A smart water model must be an intelligent model which can cater to not just the hydraulic considerations but also provide a holistic outlook as a solution.
Developing a smart water supply system depends on available data that can be leveraged to make smart decisions and optimize water solutions.
GIS Data
GIS data is often used to build hydraulic models with ease. But the usage of this data is limited to the modeling or planning stage and is absent during the operational and maintenance period. The GIS data-set can store intelligent information such as asset life cycle, cost, operational history etc. for the hydraulic elements modeled which can be useful in making “smart” decisions.
E.g. Pump operational history, life, make etc. information can be stored as attributes which can be imported into the hydraulic model. This information can then be used to simulate “What If?” scenarios for various pump operations.
SCADA Data
Connecting a SCADA system to a hydraulic model is a great example of making “smart” decisions and eventually “smart” utilities. The SCADA system can provide real time inputs to the hydraulic model such as flow and pressures which can be used as data for predictive analysis of the network under simulated conditions.
The SCADA Connect Simulator is an existing tool within WaterGEMS which can incorporate real time data by communicating with the SCADA server and report the values once configured.
3-D Visualization
3-D visualization of utilities has become imperative to generate layouts. The Subsurface Utility Design and Engineering is a module available on the MicroStation® Platform. Using this we can model utilities in the 3-D environment to understand the physical and functional considerations.
This can also help in clash detection and optimization of network layouts.
Asset Management
To develop a smart model, management of assets is imperative. Asset management involves incorporating field or on-site data regarding assets and analyzing it to develop methodologies to reduce cost, optimize workflow and increase productivity. Bentley’s AssetWise has a host of solutions for monitoring, analyzing, predicting and dashboarding asset information and functionality.
Cloud
Cloud storage and computing are the next generation in data handling. This is a great tool to conveniently store intelligent information and access it with ease. With multiple “smart” engines collaborating with the hydraulic model, this can be a reliable resource.
Automation
Automation of routine activities is a logical trend which can be effectively implemented to automate routine activities for the network. Automation can be effectively used to automatically track changes in pressure and flow and follow the prescribed decision matrix (pre-configured) to make changes in the network. This can be as simple as the closing of a valve to isolation of a part of a network.
Operation & Maintenance
Considering the future performance of a water supply or any other utility, operation and regular maintenance has become imperative in today’s world. A hydraulic network can be very useful in understanding the operation and maintenance requirements throughout the design period. Often there is need of upgradation or replacement of components. By integrating the hydraulic model with operation and maintenance schedules one can prepare the hydraulic model to incorporate changes by following “smart” decisions.
Some other existing tools in WaterGEMS which can help develop “smart” utilities;
1. Darwin Designer – Optimize networks based on cost, pressure and pipe size.
2. Darwin Calibrator – Calibrate models as per field data. Helps improve model accuracy.
3. Darwin Scheduler – Optimize pump operations and schedules for a time horizon.
4. Pipe Renewal Planner – Scores pipes based on breaks, criticality and capacity.
5. Pipe Break Analysis – Analyzes historical pipe break data to score pipes. Can be incorporated into the asset maintenance of pipes.
6. Criticality – Analyze your model to identify critical segment and outage events.