Meet some of the water industry’s biggest challenges by switching to digital

The switch to digital is transforming almost every area of business; take a closer look and it becomes clear that many of the biggest benefits can result from relatively straightforward technology substitutions. For instance, simply switching from analogue to digital sensors in water monitoring can help answer two of the biggest challenges faced by utilities and other industrial water users today - workforce and process optimization.
Skills shortages are just one of the many challenges facing the UK water industry, as experienced workers either leave or retire faster than they can be replaced. At the same time, companies need to increase their operational efficiency to maintain healthy margins against the backdrop of a tough economic outlook.  
On top of these general pressures, utility companies and other industrial water users face the added challenge of tight regulations and intense public scrutiny. This means they are looking for more effective ways to monitor their treatment plants and any discharge to the water network or wider environment. This is key for ensuring compliance with Environmental Permitting Regulations and rebuilding public trust after recent negative headlines.
Thankfully, digital sensors make it much easier to implement more frequent, effective and transparent water monitoring. Put simply, the latest smart sensors are easier and more reliable to install and use. Some of their advantages are directly connected to the benefits of digital versus analogue, such as the quality and quantity of available data, while others are attributable to innovations in design and functionality.

Plug-and-play

Companies want operators to be able to confidently install and use sensors as quickly and easily as possible, so next-generation sensors strive to be plug-and-play ‘out of the box’.For example, onboard data storage supports factory calibration, meaning sensors are ready to go right away. Many sensors still require regular recalibration while in service, but the ability to store calibration data on board makes that much easier too.
On a related note, modular construction means that probes
can be plugged into transmitters without the fiddly wiring typically associated with setting up analogue instruments. Meanwhile modular accessories enable users to position probes in the ideal spot to help optimize the process, whether that requires a dip, tank, open channel, flow-cell, chain, floating ball or live extraction configuration.
Another factor that makes positioning sensors more straightforward is that digital signals are not as vulnerable to interference as standard analogue signals. That makes it possible to use longer runs of cable without raising concerns about signal strength and/or interference. Even so, it remains best practice to keep probes and transmitters close by where possible.

A familiar (inter)face

Sensors from major suppliers increasingly feature a common human machine interface (HMI) architecture across the entire product range. This means that an operator who previously worked with one sensor should have all the knowledge they
need to navigate other instruments in the range. For example, ABB’s latest models - whether pH/ORP, turbidity/total suspended solids or dissolved oxygen - feature a common system of menus and hierarchies.
Advanced communications also make it easier to integrate sensors into wider monitoring and control schemes. The latest ABB line-up has HART, Profibus, Modbus and Ethernet onboard, for example. Even Bluetooth is available via a mobile device using the EZlink Connect app.

Balance transparency and security

As well as the primary goal of helping operators track their own water quality, easier connectivity also offers users the option of establishing an external live feed to demonstrate compliance to regulators and other stakeholders such as wild swimmers or anglers.   
Cybersecurity is the flipside of increased openness, so all systems should include effective security protocols as part of the package. For instance, ABB offers two-factor authentication when communicating with sensors via Bluetooth.

New possibilities

Switching to digital promises much more than simply the ability to do the same things better. Maintenance is probably the most obvious example.
A traditional analogue pH sensor will provide a pH reading but it can’t notify users when a fault is brewing. And if there is a breakdown, an analogue sensor can send an alarm, but without any in-depth diagnostic information to go with it an engineer may not bring the right kit along to fix it first time.
In contrast, self-diagnostic capabilities and rich data enable asset managers to make the transition to predictive maintenance, which can deliver game-changing reductions in maintenance costs, thereby optimizing the total cost of ownership (TCO) of the instruments.
You can find out more about ABB’s range of next-generation water monitoring instrumentation at https://new.abb.com/products/measurement-products/industry-and-application/water.