Gianluca Rolandelli ABB

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© Copyright ABB. All rights reserved. Rev.:
Document ID.:
PROCESS AUTOMATION ENERGY INDUSTRIES – POWER & WATER PRODUCT GROUP – WATER SEGMENT
THE HOLISTIC IMPLEMENTATION OF A DIGITAL WATER DISTRIBUTION NETWORK
GianLuca Rolandelli – Global Product Manager

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Digital Water Distribution Networks
Agenda Discussion topics
• Discussion on a “digital” water distribution network
• Can this concept be “standardized”?
• Concept of the “digital twin”
• The replica of the network and simulation of key processes
• “Map” the data collected from the field
• “Smart Data Lake” for running a model “in real-time”
From digital representation to a digital twin
initial representation
digital implementation
data harmonization

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Digital Water Distribution Networks
A complex problem
Monitoring gap – Non harmonized data
Challenges:
• Different data sources
• Legacy pre-existing systems
• Static hydraulic models
• Energy costs (for pumping stations)
Constraints:
• Specification limits
• Equipment limits
Other challenges:
• Automation / Control often divided into
multiple DCS/PLC systems
Significant Potential for Proactive Monitoring, Leakage
Detection, NRW reduction, Advanced Simulations

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Digital Water Distribution Networks
Manage operations across the entire network
Connect different types of
information coming from
systems or even plants
Harmonize and aggregate
data to feed specific
cognitive modules
Enhance situational
awareness in a single
interface
Help customers to take best
decision and improve
operational efficiency
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Digital Water Distribution Networks
Networks or Systems? What is a Water Distribution Network?
• A Water Distribution Network is an interconnected collection
of sources, pipes and hydraulic control elements (e.g., pumps,
valves, regulators, tanks) delivering to consumers prescribed
water quantities at desired pressures and water quality
• A Network is described as a graph, with the links representing
the pipes, and the nodes defining connections between pipes,
hydraulic control elements, consumers, and sources
• The behavior of a Network is governed by:
• (1) the physical laws which describe the flow relationships in
the pipes and the hydraulic control elements
• (2) the consumer demands
• (3) the network layout
• A Water Distribution System is a complex assembly of
hydraulic control elements connected together to convey
quantities of water from sources to consumers
• The starting point is the Water Treatment Plant
• Typically, the backbone of the distribution is ensured by the
Water Transmission Network
• The Water Transmission Network has the aim of delivering
water to the Water Distribution Networks
• The Water Distribution Network has the main scope to ensure
water delivery (e.g., in a city) to end points / consumers
Preliminary definitions

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More complexity near end users Distributing water requires energy!
• Energy is required to ensure the demand, e.g. to maintain
mimimum 20 meters of pressure for any end user (house)
• Energy into a Network can be obtained by:
• Gravity (if possible, e.g. having tanks/reservoirs on a top of
an hill to serve a city down in a valley)
• Pumping stations (e.g. to take water from a low level to
serve users up in hills etc)
• Mixed case
• The input (inlet) from the Transmission part can be
implemented in several ways (e.g., with an initial tank, etc)
• The topology after the inlet can be:
• 1. Open network: unique path from the tank/reservoir to the
end user (ideal case / not frequent)
• 2. Closed network: multiple paths (loops) from the
tank/reservoir to the end user (more frequent)
• 3. Mixed network: a «merge» of the previous 2 cases
• The maximum flexibility and efficiency is ensured by a closed
network having loops in every part
Digital Water Distribution Networks
Topology
A Water Utility must take into accouny several aspects
(topology, demand, unexpected events, etc) in order to
ensure the proper service (pressure) to end users
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What are the «elements»? How to «represent» a network?
• Typically a Water Distribution Network is digitally repressented
into a GIS (maintained by a Water Distribution Utility)
• Data from the GIS can be exported, in several cases into a
standard format, e.g.:
• Epanet format
• Shape files
• Such kind of export can be considered as the «MAP» for the
Water Distribution Network
• This «map» is the starting point to develop the HYDRAULIC
MODEL of the network (typically in Epanet format)
• Reservoirs
• Tanks
• Pipes
• Junctions
• Valves
• Pumps
• Sensors
Digital Water Distribution Networks
Elements and representation
A network element can be «static» (e.g. a pipe with no
associated sensor) or «active» (e.g. a pipe with an associated
flow meter, generating data at a certain interval)
A geographic information system (GIS) is a computer
system for capturing, storing, checking, and displaying
data related to positions on Earth’s surface

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Topology formula Topology is also geographic!
• A Water Distribution Network can be divided in sub-sections
called District Metered Areas (DMAs)
• The design and distribution of DMAs depends on several
aspects:
• Historical reasons
• Geographic topology
• Pressure requirements
• What is a DMA?
• If we consider a «closed network», the main parts are:
• Backbone pipe from the Transmission Network
• Main loops (big pipes)
• Secondary loops (smaller pipes)
• Minor links to end users
• Defining M the number of loops, N the number of nodes, and L
the number of links, we have the following topological formula:
• L = M + N – 1
• In our «internal terminology», we are interested into the total
number of elements (see previous slide) and the total lenght
(indicated in KM) of the pipes in the network
Digital Water Distribution Networks
Elements and «distribution» - The «districts»
A DMA is a sub-region that has uniform elevation and
pressure, where it is possible to monitor water input flow
and aggregated water consumption, and to easily isolate the
DMA from the rest of the network – is this definition OK?

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A 3-level hierarchy
Digital Water Distribution Networks
Topology VS Hierarchy
District Metered Area (DMA):
A DMA is a WDN sub-region that has uniform elevation and pressure, where it
is possible to monitor water input flow and aggregated water consumption,
and to easily isolate the DMA from the rest of the network.
Pressure Zone:
A network sector with a common pressure target, with pressure and flow
measurements, and with the possibility to control pressure with valves or
pumps. A Pressure Zone can be made of several DMAs.
High-level Sector:
A network sector characterized by the presence of active resources (pumps,
tanks), which can be operated in mostly independently from the rest of the
network. A High-level Sector can be made of several Pressure Zones.

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A key challenge today is
quickly turning complex data
into accurate, actionable
information, generating
informed decisions that
support the organization’s
overall business strategy both
on tactical and strategic view.
With the Single View Cockpit,
users are able to access to all
key information in a unified
view build to facilitate
navigation, enriching
dashboarding experience and
increasing navigation agility.
Digital Water Distribution Networks
Single View Cockpit

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Key elements General architecture
• Pure software layer (smart / digital solution)
• Deployed upon pre-existing infrastructure
• Data collection done through edge
• Interface implemented with:
• Historian (SCADA)
• GIS
• Sensors (if required)
User interface
(web browser)
Main server
(on premises)
hosting the
solution
GIS
Historian
(SCADA)
Real time data
Network data
Standard
connectivity
Periodic
export
Utility network
Minimum
deployment
Digital Water Distribution Networks
How to deploy a smart solution

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Sensors data
(real time)
OPC / Other
Historian data
(real time)
OPC
GIS data
(periodic export)
Shape / Epanet
Valves’ settings
Edge
layer
(IoT)
Standard protocols
(network formats)
Data Lake
- Data Harmonization
- Data Model
- Data Reliability
WMS core (server)
- User Interface
- KPIs
- Leakage
- Digital Twin
Back-end
(hydraulic model)
- Dynamic Steps
- Adaptive
- Hindcast
- Forecast
End user (operator)
web interface
WMS client
Application layer
Data pre-processing
Data model
Digital Water Distribution Networks
Data Lake and Dynamic Modelling
Data-driven models
VS
Physics-based models
The «digital twin» is the result of the entire architecture implementation:
a dynamic representation of the real network together with its behavior
using models with static and dynamic data in order to generate KPIs
Decision Support System

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Features Capabilities Advantages
CORE
LAYER
NETWORK
PERFORMANCE
DIGITAL TWIN
SIMULATIONS
ADV. WHAT-IF
SCENARIOS
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• Single-view cockpit and KPIs monitor
• Data collection and harmonization
• Automated alerts and reports
• Districts monitoring / KPIs
• Hydraulic balance and reporting
• Leakage detection for DMAs
• Virtual sensors and trends
• Hydraulics simulation (snapshot)
• Dynamic hydraulic model
• Advanced simulations / what-if analysis
• Hydraulics simulation (forecast)
• Water quality simulations
Automatic data harmonization
NRW reduction
Physical sensors minimization
Proactive monitoring
Digital Water Distribution Networks
Modular approach for SW features