The design life of most equipment requires periodic maintenance: adjustments, alignments, lubrication, rotating, parts replacement, etc. Every time we fail to perform routine maintenance, we shorten the equipment’s design life.

Maintenance Approaches

Reactive Maintenance

Defined – Run it until you break it! No effort is made to maintain equipment; manufacturer recommendations are ignored. Also called “Crisis Maintenance” or “Hysterical Maintenance”.

Pros - No manpower hours are expended. No maintenance costs are incurred.

Cons – You may think you’re saving money, but you’re not.  Shortening the equipment’s design life may result in higher replacement costs. You may have an additional expense if you’ve worn down your secondary/backup equipment. Then, there is the element of chance – there is no guarantee that a critical piece of equipment will not fail during peak demand, or during weekend/holiday time.

Preventive Maintenance

Defined - Actions performed on a set schedule that detects, precludes or mitigates degradation of a component or system with the aim of sustaining or extending its design life. Also known as Condition Based Monitoring.

Pros – Although it is not the optimum maintenance program, it is a vast improvement over Reactive Maintenance. Performing manufacturer recommended preventative maintenance will maximize the equipment’s design life. Money will be saved by ensuring the equipment runs as efficiently as possible.

Cons - Risk is increased by human error during the performance of maintenance. You may find yourself conducting unneeded (but scheduled) maintenance. Although the risk of failure is reduced, it will not be eliminated.

Predictive Maintenance

Defined – Actions that detect the onset of failure, thereby allowing causal stressors to be eliminated or controlled prior to deterioration of the equipment. Predictive Maintenance differs from Preventive Maintenance by basing maintenance on need rather than a preset schedule.

Pros – A well-organized Predictive Maintenance program will all but eliminate catastrophic failures. The ability to plan ahead will facilitate inventory/part ordering and avoid overtime cost. Equipment operation can be optimized, energy costs can be reduced and system reliability increased.

Cons – Requires staff training and investment in technology.

MultiTrode Can Help

At MultiTrode, we believe Predictive Maintenance guarantees the best results. Predictive Maintenance, also known as Condition Based Monitoring, is the ideal maintenance strategy because it identifies when assets need to be replaced – allowing the utility to plan cost-effective maintenance.

To ensure that the hydraulic and electrical state of the pump and motor can be clearly monitored, the MultiSmart Pump Station Manager measures the following:

• Flow rates per pump, total volume per pump
• Energy used per pump
• Pup efficiency in gals/kWhr or liters/kWhr
• Insulation resistance per pump
• Supply voltage (all 3-phases)
• Current monitoring (all 3-phases)
• Detailed fault analysis for each pump

For a free MultiSmart demo, email UsSales@multitrode.com.

Learn more about the innovative Level Sensing Probe and intuitive MultiSmart Pump Station Manager at www.multitrode.com.

Inflow and Infiltration (I&I) are terms used to describe the ways that groundwater and stormwater enter a sanitary sewer system.

• Inflow is storm and surface water that enters the sewer system at points of direct connection. These include footing/foundation drains, roof drains/leaders, downspouts, drains from window wells, outdoor basement stairwells, drains from driveways and groundwater/basement sump pumps. Ideally, inflow water should enter the stormwater system or be absorbed into the ground.
• Infiltration is rain and ground water that enters into the sewer system through cracks in sewer pipes, joints or manholes. These leaks may be caused by age-related deterioration, loose joints, poor design, root damage or maintenance issues. Sewer pipes are designed to last about 20-50 years. Often, sewer system pipes go much longer without maintenance and are likely to be damaged.

Flow Monitoring

Flow Monitoring equipment is used to determine if there is excessive I&I. Many types of flow monitoring instruments are available and pricing varies. To measure wastewater flows throughout the sewer system, it is important to select the appropriate Flow Meter.

A probe measures water velocity and depth. Long-term flow calculations can be made using simple water level recorders. More sophisticated flow meters can output, display and record flow information directly, but they represent a larger investment.

Benefits of Low Infiltration & Inflow 

• Efficient operation of wastewater treatment facilities
• Lower overall capital and operation costs
• Fewer/smaller expansions of hydraulically-sized system components (i.e. sewer lines, pumping stations, etc.)
• Decrease in the energy required to operate pumps
• Increased Compliance/Elimination of Violations with EPA requirements

Much of the country’s infrastructure was built in the 30 years after World War II. Although age is a key indicator of a system’s health, equally important is the way the system has been maintained. A well-maintained system can operate effectively for a significant period of time.

All products have a life cycle – the clothes you wear, the desk you’re working on, the chair you’re sitting in – everything. The same is true for the nation’s infrastructure, and each of its components:

Components & Life Cycles

Collections: 80-100 Years

Treatment Plants (Concrete Structure): 50 Years

Treatment Plant Mechanical/Electrical Equipment: 15-20 Years

Force Mains: 25 Years

Pump Stations (Concrete Structure): 50 Years

Pump Stations (Mechanical/Electrical Equipment): 15 Years

Interceptors: 90-100 Years

What is the state of the Union?

Among the many challenges facing our water and wastewater systems are:

• Large Capital Investment
• Aging Workforce
• Lack of New Skilled Workers Entering the Marketplace
• Increased Regulation
• Disengaged Public
• Interdependence on the Energy Sector

Estimates of national investment needs range from $300 Billion to $2 Trillion over the next 20 years.

Today’s population is benefiting from the investments made by past generations. Looking forward, the EPA is promoting practices that encourage utilities to address existing needs so that future generations will not be left to rebuild a crumbling infrastructure. This is referred to as “Sustainable Infrastructure”.

The Four Pillars of Sustainable Infrastructure are better management, efficient water use, full-cost pricing of water and a watershed approach to protection. The EPA believes this will help utilities to operate more sustainably now and in the future.

MultiTrode Can Help!

Our technologically advanced products have been developed with system efficiency and easy interface in mind. With the push of a button, our smart pump controllers will help you:

• Promote effective utility management
• Minimize operations cost
• Facilitate effective asset management
• Improve maintenance and capital investment planning
• Reduce energy cost & CO2 emissions
• Increase system-wide efficiency

Learn more about the innovative Level Sensing Probe and intuitive MultiSmart Pump Station Manager.

In dry weather, all flow goes to a wastewater treatment plant. In wet weather, capacity may be exceeded. Unfortunately, most CSSs are designed to discharge excess flow directly to surface water such as rivers, streams, estuaries and coastal water.

Sanitary Sewer System (SSS)  A SSS is sewer system that conveys domestic, commercial and industrial wastewater to a treatment plant, with limited amounts of infiltrated groundwater and stormwater.

SSSs are not designed to collect large amounts of stormwater runoff from weather events. Areas served by SSSs have a separate storm water system to collect and convey runoff from rainfall and snowmelts.

Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) CSO is Overflow from a Combined Sewer System.

Sanitary Sewer Overflow (SSO) SSC is Overflow from a Sanitary Sewer System.

What’s the Big Deal with CSOs and SSOs?
Both CSOs and SSOs contain untreated or partially treated water. Whether they are caused by a limited capacity, line breaks, blockages or lapses in maintenance, overflows release microbial pathogens, pollutants and toxins to surface waters – all of which negatively impact the environment and human health.

What Has Been Done?
CSOs are a nationwide problem. In 1994, the federal government developed the CSO Control Policy which suggests that States:

• Implement a tracking method, preferably the permit program created by the federal Clean Water Act
• Develop Long-Term Control Plans (LTCPs)
• Communities implement CSO controls as soon as possible

What Technology is Available?
Readily available options range from large-scale capital improvement projects to improved maintenance practices. A community’s action plan would be influenced by the size and type of system, the problems they are experiencing, their performance goals and available resources.

In the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s 2004 “Report to Congress on the Impacts and Control of CSOs and SSOs”, the EPA categorized technologies used to address CSOs and SSOs into 5 categories:

1. Operation and Maintenance Practices
2. Collection System Controls
3. Storage Facilities
4. Treatment Technologies
5. Low-Impact Development Techniques

MultiTrode Can Help
MultiTrode takes pride in designing, manufacturing and marketing pump station management systems that improve the integrity of the nation’s wastewater infrastructure and protect both the environment and public health. We offer a wide range of products including complete control panels, pump station controllers, pump station supervisors, RTUs, liquid level sensors, liquid level relays, SCADA software and web-based monitoring and control solutions.

MultiTrode utilizes technological advancements to provide sophisticated solutions to every day challenges. Supervisory Control & Data Acquisition (SCADA) ranks among the more noteworthy of these tools. SCADA can be used as a safeguard against overflows and to gain centralized electronic control. Utilized as a broader management tool, SCADA can reduce staff overtime, help in preventive maintenance scheduling and enhance the operational cost efficiencies of a utility.

Drawings of new pits come through my desk nearly every month and most have the MultiTrode Level Sensing Probe already specified, but from time to time I see a ball float right at the top to indicate high level and an alarm. The following figures show the backup level sensing configuration with a ball float and how that configuration matches with the backup Fail Safe Probe sensor design.
 

Proposed Tank Level With Ball Float

Proposed Tank Level With Fail Safe

It seems no one ever thought of changing the ball float to a new and more advanced Fail Safe Probe and install the Fail Safe Relay as well. Ball floats have their place; but when mission critical high level flow’s need a mission critical alarm, a Fail Safe Probe is the best bet together with a Fail Safe Relay.

Those who are familiar with the probe would know that the 200mm single sensor probe has just one wire, but the Fail Safe has two. The Fail Safe Controller will “integrate the loop” to check for continuity of the circuit; and if there is a break in the cable it will close a relay that will warn that, the integrity of the probe to do its job has been limited or has failed. Handy if you have a sewerage pumping station near a creek or river where people swim a lot.

MultiTrode has recently released the firmware version 2.2.1 for the MultiSmart Pump Station Manager. This update includes enhancements for achieving higher efficiencies and support for extra security.

Major highlights of this release are,

1) Easy interfacing of selected ABB drives, in just a few button presses
2) Support for Dallas iButton security key
3) Improvised well mixer functionality
4) New Pump Alternation Modes
5) Simplicity in interfacing Rain-gauges
6) Extended pump efficiency calculations and alarming
7) DNP Object 0 support (helps in remote identification of device details and DNP profiles)
8) Improvised VFD configuration menu
9) Enhancements for flow calculations and flow statistics

These new features and enhancements further extend the capabilities of the MultiSmart to continue providing a unique and one stop solution for Pump Station Management. Registered members can download the firmware from the MultiTrode website www.multitrode.com. If you do not have a login, please navigate to http://www.multitrode.com/member-registration.php for applying a free registration.

Pump Station performance optimization has become an important feature  for pump stations throughout the world. A well optimized pump station can increase the lifetime of the pumps as well as decrease the cost involved in running the station. Station optimization can also help in reducing the hardware, software and maintenance costs significantly.

However it has been seen that many a times the pump stations (or lift stations) are not designed or maintained close to the best possible solution. Design changes after the Pump Station commissioning for including optimizations features are commonly seen these days.

Majority of the reasons behind this are; inability to identify all the optimization parameters during the design and commissioning phase;  huge costs and time constraints involved with the software reprogramming (PLC programming and SCADA changes) which are quite often seen requiring vast changes; incapability to see the relevant historical data required for achieving optimization; inability to trial different combinations of optimization features; and changing demands to the station  due to geographical & environmental changes, increase in population leading to varying optimization design requirements.

The MultiSmart Pump Station Manager is designed to eliminate these optimization issues. With the help of the easy to configure parameters through the LCD faceplate the user can configure different optimization settings and combinations. Having more than 500 tags for a standard two pump controller MultiSmart configuration the station’s functioning, with the relevant data, can be easily trended and observed over a period of time for fine tuning. The trending can be viewed from a SCADA system, as well as using the built-in Data Logging feature of the MultiSmart. The license free TrendReporter software, available for download at the MultiTrode website (www.multitrode.com), can be used to view the trends from the data logged within the MultiSmart unit.

Tags with the relevant data can be added for local or remote data logging, or deleted when not required, by browsing through the tag list in the LCD faceplate and selecting a few options. The tag database in the unit has about 3000 entries which covers all of the station optimization and pump control data available.

The MultiSmart unit comes with a lot Optimization features built into the software. The users can enable or disable particular features and setup & change the parameters according to the requirements with a few button presses. Therefore these features can easily be trialed after the station commissioning or whenever new changes are required and the best solution can thus be identified and implemented.

Available ready to use optimization features are as follows,

• Odor reduction (Max Off Time)
• Max Run Time
• Station Max Pumps to Run
• Minimize Fat Buildup
• Well Clean Out
• Minimize Excessive Starts
• High Inflow
• Well Washer
• Well Mixer
• Blocked Pump Detection
• Pump Max Starts Per Hour

The most common settings are found in the main station optimization screen.  New custom configurations can also be created easily without needing any hardware or firmware changes. The pump controller functionality has a whole range of advanced pump station parameters and can support multiple wells, multiple groups of pumps and multiple profiles.

A variety of standard pump alternation schemes are also present in the MultiSmart which are listed below.

• Alternation (std)
• Fixed (std)
• Alternation Special
• Fixed Strict
• Hours Run
• Pump Starts
• Efficiency
• N to 1
• First On First Off

Alternation by efficiency is one of the popular features utilized by the MultiSmart customers.

We have seen that the MultiSmart Pump Station Manager can improve the performance of a station immensely with the help of the standard and configurable optimization features. We can look at each of these features and how the customers are benefiting from them in the coming posts.

In the book the authors argue that instead of companies trying to be better than the competitors and fighting over market share they should instead focus on making the competition irrelevant by creating uncontested Blue Ocean market places where new demands of customers are satisfied.  Rather than trying to beat the competition at their own game businesses looking for uncontested space should answer four questions:

• Which of the factors that our industry takes for granted should be eliminated?
• Which factors should be reduced well below the industry’s standard?
• Which factors should be raised well above the industry’s standard?
• Which factors should be created that the industry never offered?

I found the book a good read and like anyone who learns about a new model or concept I wanted to try it out on one of our products at home.  I knew that no-one here had read the book before designing the MultiSmart Pump Station Manager over five years ago so it would be a good test. I am now sitting down and will do my best to answer the four questions:

• What did we eliminate that the industry took for granted?
That is easy. We took away the need to bring in a third party expert to set up, commission or make changes to the configuration of pump control in a lift station. It was all made so easy to use that any operator could be given simple training to do it and save themselves big dollars!

• What factor did we reduce below the industry standard? 
After thinking about that for a while it occurs to me that the MultiSmart reduces the number of moving parts found in any panel or station control box. The standard control panel is full of gear. A MultiSmart takes a lot of that away – up to 14 different devices are eliminated from one panel, maybe more. Again – big savings.

• Which factors did the MultiSmart raise well above the industry standard?
One of the biggest issues for the industry is getting enough data from lift stations and pump station. On average the industry is used to controllers providing less than 50 tags. We saw that as being the big picture for customers. The more information you have to hand the better your decision making. Asset managers are becoming more focused on network management, efficiency, energy and operating costs. Information and lots of it was going to be the key. We upped the ante with the MultiSmart and brought back 500 tags of data (and growing).  This allows greater level of control and monitoring than ever offered before in a controller.

• Which factor did we create that had not been offered before? 
Going back to the book for examples the authors showed how Cirque Du Soleil had solved this by being the first to offer a high level of theatre to their industry (Circus entertainment). That leads me to say that the MultiSmart was the first to offer an out-of –the-box solution for full pump station management. All the hard work has been done for you.  All the smarts come with the unit and we provide free upgrades as we develop them.

You might agree with me on those answers or you might not. My view is that they stand up to some scrutiny but I would love to hear if anyone has a different view.

Time is running out for the leaders of the Group of Twenty who are meeting in London this week. The message they might bring back home with them after the summit is of a deeper recession before things improve.

So what to do when faced with the very real chance of dealing with the worst downturn since the 1930”s depression?  That was a question we asked ourselves recently at MultiTrode. Just like in any other business involved with infrastructure, a slow down in the economic spending (despite money being made available for shovel-ready projects) will affect our customers and in turn “business as usual” revenue.

Our Chairman and company founder Craig Parkinson had the best answer. This is a man who has seen a few booms and busts in the twenty two years that MultiTrode has been around. So we always listen when he has advice.   Craig’s view was that we should do what we have always done in the past – go and talk to our customers.

He said it sounds simple but so few companies do it well because they are unable to stop thinking about themselves long enough to truly hear what the customer is saying. Now I am not going to give a lesson in Marketing 101 here. But the advice Craig gave was right on the money.

The folk at MultiTrode have always enjoyed a close relationship with the industry so it was not hard to start asking pointed questions about what things are keeping people awake at night. The response has been great. We are getting a lot of feedback and expect more as we continue to involve ourselves in the fresh issues.

The  biggest learning? Remember that we only focus on water and waste water pump station solutions so our questions can be quite targeted. From all our interviews with customers, experts and intermediaries we now know that the smart operations managers are focusing on three key areas. They realise that stimulus packages aside there will be an effect on operating and cap ex budgets so they are refining their operations, chasing station asset optimization and only investing in cost effective solutions.

They know that energy efficiencies of up to 15% are available at the pump station. They see that out-of-date lift stations can make up 60% of all emergency call outs and gobble up the bulk of “on call” penalty rates. They also know that the regulators will not be giving anyone a holiday.

Pump stations have long been overlooked by managers but today they see this area of their operation as a real mine of budget improvements. Our challenge is to keep listening like Craig did over twenty years ago to help them.

No matter what the economic situation the owners and managers of water infrastructure all face similar challenges. There are intersecting trends driving what happens in the market.  These trends are not going to change because of the current recessionary economic pressure on global markets. In fact it’s my view that we will now see them become more defined and more instructive .

Environment

The first trend is one of increased regulation. Around the world we see this trend gathering pace. This includes higher standards for drinking water quality and zero tolerance of waste water spills and strict monitoring requirements by the regulators.  Here is a truth: After every crisis the amount of regulation increases.  So after the dust settles on this global downturn expect a rush of regulator activity.

Security

The next is the post 9/11 concern over security of remote telemetry communications and control at water sources, treatment plants and pumping stations. This was once the domain of a few passionate souls who were almost being treated like Henny Penny, the character that claimed the sky was falling. Now it is an agenda item for most Homeland security agencies around the world. And people are beating a path to Henny Penny’s door.

Infrastructure

Thirdly our aging water infrastructure requires a steady investment. In most of the developed world water and sewerage infrastructure dates back to the years just after World War Two.  It has suffered from chronic underspend and a rapidly increasing population. There is a huge gap in what is presently allocated to be spent and the rate of spending needed. In the United States alone the estimate is a spending gap factor of ten to one.  No wonder that the rate of investment in water has been increasing in popularity.

Workforce

On top of this our workforce is changing. As people retire and exit the industry we are finding it harder to attract the number of good talent to the water business. Its not that we don’t have the talent in the new recruits – it’s that there are not enough of them.  This has focused the industry on seeking productivity outcomes. We now reward anything that lowers the capital costs and operational budgets and provides a knowledge foundation for replacement of technical staff. Even if we see an easing in the job market as a result of lay offs now that the greater part of the world is in recession the rate of growth potential for water infrastructure will soak it up quickly. Skills shortage is here to stay for some time.

Technology

The final trend that meets at the intersection point is the increasing use of low cost smart embedded devices that can be located remotely and linked using modern communication protocols.   This technology is small, full of application specific firmware, that can self-diagnose and are packed with high end communication capabilities. Plenty of multinationals like Schneider, Emerson, Siemens are putting big bets on this area but the water challenge is so great that there remains a huge opportunity for niche companies like ours to outperform the majors with highly targeted offerings.

My challenge now is to ensure I keep the company very close to the customer and these trends. I have set certain priorities for the business and one of the most important is a renewed focus on what keeps the customer awake at night. This blog is a company initiative designed to generate discussion and to share ideas. I will be keeping a close eye on the blog as it develops into a key source of communication with our customers and the community.