Severn Trent to update asset control software

Severn Trent Water is to upgrade control software to cope with a major growth in information generated by remote asset sensor systems.

The sensors are used to monitor the condition and running of Severn Trent’s pump stations, sewage treatment works and pipes. The utility is expanding the network and improving software to help it predict problems before they occur.

Nick Williams, information systems project manager at Severn Trent, says the utility wants to link an upgraded sensor network into a master control system to generate detailed information on usage trends, activity and degradation.

‘We want to use IT to be more aware of what is going on within our assets, our treatment works and our water distribution network, so that we can react quicker and improve services,’ he said.

At the moment, the Severn Trent master system software cannot access information on the flow of water in its pipes or the running pressure.

The new system will alert control centre managers to equipment that fails more often than it should, and generate trend data that will tell operators if a remote machine is not running efficiently, says Williams.

‘We are not only looking at replacing equipment and software,’ he said. ‘We are looking at what we are monitoring on site, and we want a system that can give us more information.’

All of the sensors will have to comply with the requirements of the Water Industry Telemetry Standards body, which makes sure sensors used by different companies are interoperable.

Severn Trent provides water to more than seven million people, and monitors and manages assets including 45,674 km of mains, more than 1,000 water and sewage treatment works and 32 reservoirs.

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