Preparing for and Implementing Process Optimization Using Data Visualization

As technology advances water systems are creating more and more data. However, data management practices have not kept pace, often leaving information siloed amongst various groups within a utility's organization and requiring additional steps for analysis. As an industry, we are often information rich, but knowledge poor. Smart Utility concepts include leveraging technology to empower a utility's workforce. Smart Utility technology components collect data, provide understanding and meaning of data, embed operational goals and requirements with historical context and performance targets to help operators understand how complex systems will react in future scenarios-in other words, they help you go from data, which means very little to knowledge which allows for real time informed decision making . This unlocks a wide range of opportunities to optimize performance targets, staff time, consumable cost (energy and chemical usage) and assess system performance at a glance. Looking to the future, PWB made the decision to embed Smart Utility concepts in the design of their new Bull Run Filtration Facility. Working with Brown and Caldwell they developed a Smart Utility implementation plan. A series of data dashboards were developed for plant operations optimization. These included managing complex source water decisions, monitoring and controlling process operations (coagulation/flocculation/sedimentation, filtration, disinfection), solids management, tracking the water balance, and maintaining distribution system water quality. These reporting and advisory tools can be used to provide guidance to inform staff of changing conditions in the system (source, plant and distribution). Developing these dashboards positions PWB to efficiently implement the final in-plant smart utility system, incorporate the needed monitoring requirements into the facility design, easily train new operations staff by using these new tools, and position them to plan for learning tool options to incorporate in the next phase of system development. This presentation will start by describing the initial challenges of getting alignment at the initial planning phase from the director level and the staff level to understand how each of the tools and solutions need to perform to meet the goals of the Bureau. Based on these initial performance metrics, we will visualize the dashboarding tools to describe the concepts and the process used to create the dashboards what the end use actions are that can be taken by operations due to the use of these advanced tools and then describe why these operator advisory dashboards provide a greater degree of operational knowledge compared to a typical SCADA system screen and how these benefits are aligned with the goals of the utility.