Managing and operating aging water treatment infrastructure typically relies on the experience and specialist skills of plant operators and staff, with limited resources for enhancing compliance, identifying cost savings and process improvements. However, advancements in what’s technologically possible are beginning to change the landscape in water asset management.
A digital twin is a virtual representation that serves as the real-time digital counterpart of a physical object or process. It can be used to view the status of the actual physical object, which provides a way to project physical objects into the digital world.
Operational benefits of digital twins for water utilities and sewer networks
Digital twin technology is now available that combines water modeling with the power of machine learning. This produces insights that can be used by engineers, plant operators and asset managers at water utilities to improve both operational and environmental performance.
Plant and network operators are now using digital twins of their operations to:
- Model operational scenarios to improve capital and operational efficiencies with virtual representations. Operators are able to perform digital ‘what-if scenarios’ of processes and know water quality is compliant before releasing it into waterways.
- Get recommended daily emails on plant settings for water compliance with hour-by-hour forecasts for optimal plant settings over the next 24-hours to achieve operational and water quality goals.
- Monitor safety risks and performance across entire sewer networks while identifying potential areas of safety risk in the network due to sulfide and methane generation.
Introducing EVS Water digital twin technology for complex infrastructure management
EVS Water uses a combination of machine learning and best-practice water modeling approaches consistent with Envirosuite’s philosophy of embedding the world’s leading science in technology that is useful for decision-makers. It's a powerful solution for engineers, plant operators and asset managers to improve both operational and environmental performance.
Learn more about EVS Water here: envirosuite.com/platforms/water
