From Onsite to Remote Visual Inspections: How Wastewater Utilities Can Make Smarter Decisions When It Comes to Deploying Their Workforce More Effectively

Today, wastewater utilities are spending considerable amounts of time and effort on regular physical pump station inspections and maintenance. There have been many advances in the technology used in pump stations including IoT and other connected devices, however time- and cost-intensive manual inspections haven't changed much. In this paper, we present the results of a pilot project to demonstrate a brand-agnostic solution to transform the way inspections are conducted, without having to overhaul major equipment at great expense to utilities. Background Typically, the purpose of a visit to the pump station is to assess the health of the station and detect if any equipment is not performing as intended. After the visit, notes are made, and actions written down on a logbook or notebook on the premises or in a digital maintenance system with tasks to be carried out during another visit. These inspections can either be daily, weekly, or monthly depending on the schedule of the utilities, or criticality of the station. This often leads to unnecessary visits to the stations without any work being done. Challenges Routine inspections are performed by either one or two operators who drive between stations. Constraints in resources, including a growing skills shortage, can lead to operators taking additional work to deal with critical equipment failures while out on inspections. This can sometimes result in manual inspections becoming less effective and thorough, with the risk of potential preventative measures being overlooked. Project Objectives Roslagsvatten is a municipality in Sweden serving 100 000 inhabitants. They have more than 200 pumping stations and 20 treatment plants. In 2021, Xylem and Roslagsvatten initiated a pilot with 16 remote visual inspection and diagnostics solutions being installed. The pilots were deployed in different parts of the Roslagsvatten network of stations. The maintenance crew is divided into sub-regional teams, and each sub-regional part had one to two units in their operation in this pilot phase. The overall objectives of the pilot project were to: reduce costs for physical inspections; reduce environmental impact from vehicle emissions associated with routine and unplanned maintenance; and reduce energy consumption in pumping stations. During the project, we found the number of units were too low to make a meaningful workflow change. Roslagsvatten then ordered 60 units to be deployed into two sub-regional parts, which really transformed their way of working. Results Roslagsvatten have lowered their on-site inspections by around 50%, they have also significantly increased their First Time Fix Rate. The maintenance operators are now deployed in a more efficient way and have freed up their capacity to do value-added work such as preventative maintenance on critical assets. Roslagsvatten have not only reduced their regular onsite visits by 50%, but they have also been able to lower their carbon emissions which have supported their efforts towards reaching net zero targets. The use of remote visual inspection kits has completely transformed their workflow. Findings It is possible to decrease regular onsite station visits by conducting certain visual inspections remotely. We found that it is even more effective than expected by simply using a kit consisting of Xylem-sourced dome cameras, modem, sensors, and meters connected to a monitoring tool. Remote visual inspections combined with data collection enables more informed data-driven decision making and improved response time. The cameras provide a live view of pumps, wells, and other station assets, enabling the operator to conduct a visual inspection. Sensors and meters send data to the monitoring tool to provide supplemental information which can be used to diagnose issues and act within a shorter time period. By ensuring that an initial assessment of the status of the station is done in an efficient way remotely, operators are better equipped with information ahead of time so that they can take appropriate action. This is a much better use of their time, should a manual onsite inspection be needed, and enables the utility to deploy their resources in a more efficient and purpose-driven manner. In addition, a single operator can remotely inspect an indefinite number of stations from their office, home, or from their service truck. By using a kit that doesn't require any other proprietary software, the solution can easily be fitted to stations that use any brand of pumps and controller equipment, using minimal installation time and costs.