Energy optimisation in water and

wastewater treatment plants

EDS Water
Management

The training equipment

The EDS Water Management is a modular training equipment which simulates
the core processes of water and wastewater treatment plants.

EDS with all four systems

Festo Didactic
11/2013

Energy optimisation in water and wastewater treatment plants

Introduction to the learning module

Energy optimisation in water and wastewater treatment plants
Water and wastewater treatment plants are energy-intensive and account for up to 35 percent of municipal
energy consumption. Particularly pumps and aeration consume a significant portion of energy in water and
wastewater plants and should therefore be a special focus. In many cases water and wastewater treatment
plants are operated without optimised devices or measures for processes optimisation. However, an
optimised system consumes less electrical power, results in reduced maintenance work and increased life
time of the operational units. A detailed study of the energy consumption should be executed in order to
determine the optimisation potential. As a result, the most potent measures can be determined for the
particular plant.

Reduction of the energy consumption

Strict and regular maintenance measures are an efficient way to cut energy consumption as these measures
provide smooth and trouble-free operation of pumps and other machines. Outdated and poorly
synchronised systems are subject to malfunctions and consume relatively much energy. When new plants
are built or existing ones modernised, significant amounts of energy can be saved by implementing an
appropriate design and selecting energy-efficient components. In day to day plant operation, well-qualified
staff, optimum system settings and control parameters play an essential role for energy saving.

Typical proportion of costs in a live cycle of an aeration system (source: Festo)

Introduction of energy management

Water and wastewater treatment plants can reduce their consumption of electrical and heating energy by
introducing an energy management system which supervises and controls all machines and devices that
affect the energy consumption of the respective plant. Using energy management tools, an overall energy
concept of the plant can be prepared which includes measurable targets and concrete measures.
The basis for the implementation of an energy management system is a well-qualified and motivated staff,
who are aware of the importance of energy saving and are willing to carry out all required measures for cost
effectiveness in the plant.

Festo Didactic GmbH & Co. KG

Energy optimisation in water and wastewater treatment plants

Exercise: Effects of interference in the piping system

Problem description
Piping systems might be narrowed by scaling, sediments or deposits. This affects the efficiency of the
pumping systems. The exercise simulates the effect of a narrowed pipe while water is pumped through it.
This exercise can be conducted at the Water Purification, Water Supply or Wastewater Treatment Systems.
The Wastewater Transport System is recommended for the exercise since on this station it is possible to
adjust the narrowing by using a proportional media valve.

Layout
The layout is the same as in exercise 3.2.3 Efficiency of the pump.
A certain volume is pumped to the upper tank. The recirculation valve of the upper tank is closed.
A cross sectional narrowing by deposits in the pipe is simulated by partly closing the valve in the filler pipe
while pumping.
For the Water Purification System: The Sedimentation Tank B102 is to be filled from the Main Storage Tank
B501 using Pump P501. Valve V102 is open (on). Partly close hand Valve V501
For the Water Supply System: Pump P201 feeds from the Storage Tank B201 to the Elevated Tank B202.
Valve V222 is open (on). Partly close hand Valve V201.
For the Wastewater Transport System: The pump feeds from the Overflow Tank B301 to the Sedimentation
Tank B302. Valves V302 and V310 allow the water to flow back and are open (off). The Proportional Media
Valve V303 between pump and sedimentation tank can be adjusted in defined stages. Please check at which
setting the valve is completely open (100% or 0%). The valve is controlled with the button FIC B302 on the
left in the FluidLab Water Management.

Learning outcomes
You evaluate the difference in energy consumption between the free
and the narrowed system. Calculate hidden costs.

Tasks
1. How do narrowed pipes affect the filling of the sedimentation
tank and, consequently, energy required by the pump? Make an
initial assumption.
Presumably, the pump will require more energy due to increasing
resistance in the pipe. As a result filling time and thus energy
costs will increase.

Hidden costs?

Festo Didactic GmbH & Co. KG

Energy optimisation in water and wastewater treatment plants

2. Determine how much electrical energy is required in order to pump 3 litres of water from the lower to
the upper tank through different stages of pipe narrowing.
Valve V303 opening
(% of narrowing)
Completely open (0%)

Electrical power consumption [W]

Filling time [s]

Electrical energy [Ws]

9 (example)

More than half open (40%)

Two thirds closed (70%)
Almost closed (e.g. 90%)

Training notes
Try out different stages of narrowing. You may choose other percentages than the ones suggested.
Using the Water Purification System or the Water Supply System, you realize the narrowing by
hand in partly closing the hand valve. Please try to get two or three different results even though
the narrowing of the hand valves cannot be defined by a number.

1. Which conclusions do you draw?

A cross section narrowing has a negative effect on energy consumption. In our example it takes the
pump _____ seconds longer and ______% more energy is required to fill the upper tank.
Therefore maintenance must always be ensured at regular intervals to prevent additional costs.

2. Transfer this example to a real pump: How much may the rising costs be for a pump with 200 kW
power?
Example: 20% more energy means 20% more costs.
If the pump runs for instance 10 hours per day it consumes 2400 kWh/d instead of 2000kWh/d.
Per year the excess consumption is 400 kWh 365 = 140 600kW. If the energy price was 0.10, cost
would be an additional 14 600 per year just for this single pump.

Training notes for the instructor

Workbook Water supply contains more explanations regarding pumps and you will find a similar
exercise, showing correlations between pressure and volume flow, in workbook Monitoring,
controlling and optimising operations.

Festo Didactic GmbH & Co. KG

Energy optimisation in water and wastewater treatment plants

Correlating the exercises with the EDS Water Management Systems

The table below shows which of the EDS Systems can be used for which exercise. The systems concerned
are marked with X. If there is no X in a line, the respective exercise is knowledge driven and therefore
none of the EDS systems are required. (X) means that it is possible to conduct the exercise with this
system. However the systems marked with X are to be preferred.

Correlation of the exercises with the EDS Water Management Systems

WPUR

WSUP

WWTRA

WWTRE

Workbook Energy optimisation in water and wastewater treatment plants

2. Energy consumption and power generation
2.2.1

Consumption of primary energy

2.2.2

Energy saving in daily life

2.2.3

Energy consumption in facilities for water- and wastewater treatment

2.2.4

Assessment of electrical energy consumption in a wastewater treatment plant

3. Forms of energy, efficiency and power

3.2.1

Examination of electrical energy consumption

of the EDS Water Management

3.2.2

Forms of energy

3.2.3

Efficiency of the pump

3.2.4

Energy monitoring of the solenoid valve

4. Interference and water supply

4.2.1

Effects of interference in the piping system

5. Energy optimisation of pumping: closed-loop control

5.2.1

Optimising energy consumption in fill level control

5.2.2

Optimising flow control

X
X

6. Energy optimisation of aeration and costs

6.2.1

Energy consumption of the air blower at different power settings

6.2.2

Controlling the oxygen concentration using a two-step controller

6.2.3

Controlling the oxygen concentration using a continuous controller

6.2.4

Energy consumption of aeration

6.2.5

Calculation of aeration cost

7. Causes for waste of energy

7.2.1

Excessive energy consumption and counter measures

8. Energy management
8.2.1

Permanent control of the measures and energy optimisation

8.2.2

Cost optimisation

9. Energy generation in wastewater plants

9.2.1

Estimate the power generation

W-PUR: Water Purification System

W-SUP: Water Supply System
WW-TRA: Wastewater Transport System
WW-TRE: Wastewater Treatment System

Festo Didactic GmbH & Co. KG

Festo Didactic GmbH & Co. KG

Rechbergstrae 3
73770 Denkendorf
Germany
Internet: www.festo-didactic.com
E-mail: did@de.festo.com