Distributed Control Systems

Making a world of difference in water industries

Not a drop to spare – safeguarding a precious resource

On a hot summer day, a child takes a cooling drink from a public water fountain. A pipeline, buried underground, springs a leak and water begins to seep into the ground. As the child drinks, the leak is detected by sensors that alert a control center, and a maintenance team is sent to investigate.

Fortunately, the child does not need to think about the comprehensive water management systems working around the clock to ensure the dependable and safe supply of water – for irrigation in our fields, industrial processes and thirsty children on a hot summer day.

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Water management matters

While 70 percent of our planet is covered with water, only three percent of that is fresh. Leakage and loss further contribute to water scarcity, while the need for fresh water – essential for our lives and livelihoods – keeps growing.

By 2050, water demand is projected to increase by up to 30 percent, driven by the rising demand in the industrial and domestic sectors. With the world’s population forecast to reach nearly 10 billion by 2050, ensuring everyone has access to safe and reliable water supply is a critical challenge. Efficient water and wastewater management will be key in helping bridge the gap between the growing demand for and scarcity of this precious resource.

Making a world of difference

Improving efficiencies

ABB is committed to driving more responsible use of water with automation, instrumentation, electrification and digital solutions across the entire cycle of water processes. This includes cutting-edge solutions that help efficiently turn seawater into drinking water; technologies to safely treat wastewater; systems that protect waterways and coastal areas from flooding – to name a few.

Many of these processes, however, are energy-intensive. Improving energy efficiency and productivity not only increases the overall sustainability of operations, but also helps lower operational costs, making drinking water more affordable and accessible to more people around the world.

Cruise ship equiped with Azipod propulsion

Saving energy – saving water

Ensuring water processing plants run as efficiently as possible is one important aspect of water management. ABB helps optimize performance of water plants through process automation and control systems. ABB Ability™ System 800xA distributed control system can unify all plantwide control systems, giving engineers a broad view and precise control over complex applications like desalination for larger plants from a central command center. By providing actionable insights, ABB is helping plants save energy, as well as increase capacity and productivity at not only new, but existing and often aging infrastructures. Another key to solving water management challenges is the ABB Ability™ Symphony® Plus SCADA – an automation platform offering flexibility and scalability for remote management of distributed water networks. ABB’s solutions help save energy in wastewater management, too. The ABB Ability™ Smart Solution for Wastewater enables continuous monitoring of wastewater plant operations and, coupled with automation, helps achieve energy savings of up to 25 percent during water treatment processes.

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Measurement matters

Often undetected, leakages in water distribution networks add to the ever-increasing challenge of providing enough drinkable water for all. ABB’s AquaMaster electromagnetic flowmeters support intelligent water management by measuring and storing data about the water flow in real time to track exactly how much water is passing through a pipe. Spaced throughout the pipes of a distribution network, they also provide an accurate picture of pipeline conditions as they can detect minute variations in flow, helping to identify seemingly insignificant leakages that result in large water losses over time. In addition, smart water analyzer technology provides real-time data on process conditions that can be used to increase efficiency, improve performance, and safeguard water quality.

Continuous water analysis systems help manage water quality and ensure water quality compliance throughout the water cycle, from sourcing and treating to distribution and discharge.

Securing the essential element for all

Water availability is a global necessity, but it needs to be managed locally across the world. ABB drives water cycle efficiency at the local level through its innovative digital, automation, measurement and electrification solutions, delivering safer, smarter and more sustainable operations wherever and however, they are needed.

ABB is making a world of difference by enabling more responsible use of our most precious resource – water.