A key target for many water and wastewater treatment plants is reducing electricity consumption. St Petersburg, the most northerly city in the world, is implementing a programme to increase the energy efficiency of its drinking water supply and has invested R760 million over a period of three years.
Electric drives were previously the first choice for Russia’s water treatment plants for opening and closing the inlets and outlets of sand-bed filters or in pumping stations. In St Petersburg, the use of electric drives alone would have meant an installed load of 75 kW. The plant could not have provided this without extending the electrical infrastructure. A pneumatic system with DAPS actuators, including two air compressors, required an installed load of only 10 kW. By simply replacing the electric drives with 120 pneumatic actuators, the plant was able to save at least R950 000.
The plant was also equipped with a central control system at the process management level which allows comprehensive monitoring of the process. The control system gathers current data and compares this continuously with defined setpoints. Festo automation technology is fully integrated into this monitoring process and uses sensor signals to supply up-to-date information on the operating status of individual plant sections.
The pneumatic automation technology installed in the plant, allowed the water utility company to achieve a quantum leap in energy efficiency. This same technology has been installed at several plants locally, including Meulwater and Preekstoel in the Western Cape, offering the same benefits as those enjoyed by customers around the world.
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