Every day, water utilities face the task of making decisions that ensure the maintenance of high-quality services while minimizing costs and disruptions. The pressure to make the right decisions is only intensified by climate change, aging infrastructure, and large-scale population growth.
Smart decision-making is essential for both large and small utilities, and for consumers. But collecting data alone isn’t enough; it must feed into decision-support tools like real-time simulation and predictive analytics. These tools empower utilities to understand their systems’ current behavior and anticipate responses under various conditions.
For effective water management in the context of our current landscape, I believe that connecting SCADA with digital twins or hydraulic models is a major priority.
Below, I share my thoughts on:
- Why combine SCADA with hydraulic models
- The key benefits of connecting the two
- The value of hydraulic models even when they’re not 100% accurate
- How engineers, modelers, and operators can work together more effectively
Why combine SCADA with hydraulic models
When searching for the most beneficial data sources to integrate into hydraulic models or to enable the creation of a Digital Twin, SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system data is by far the most important.
SCADA’s real-time data helps operators measure what’s happening in the field and within the system. Operators can analyze previous trends and patterns to forecast potential scenarios. However, SCADA data itself cannot help predict what will happen if one makes specific changes to the system.
Standard hydraulic models are primarily developed for planning, which means their main focus concentrates on design conditions, maximum daily demands, and fire flow conditions — which means that these models do not represent system operations in real-time and cannot account for uncertainties.
But when the two are linked, the model morphs into a mirror image of the system as it functions in real-time providing a whole host of benefits for network operators.
What are the key benefits of connecting SCADA data to your hydraulic model?
Strategic decision-making versus reactive responses
Hydraulic models can be validated, updated, and recalibrated using SCADA, providing greater confidence. Linking SCADA with hydraulic models creates a real-time model equipped with predictive capabilities, enabling operators to simulate the effects of their actions on the system and understand the consequences before actually executing them.
This shifts the decision-making process from reactive to proactive. Instead of relying on past experience and standard rules, operators can choose to maintain the status quo or implement changes for the future based on insights from a real-time model with predictive capabilities. This becomes even more important when we consider operators with less experience who might not fully understand how their decisions will impact the system.
System performance and maintenance optimization
The benefits extend beyond immediate decisions: With this integrated model, operators can also begin to optimize their systems. Since they’re uncertain how the system might react to changes, operators often have to err on the side of caution. However, with the predictive capabilities offered by a digital twin, operators can explore the system’s boundaries with much more confidence.
For example, when assessing a scenario where a tank’s level decreases while energy costs remain high, they could evaluate actions such as delaying pump activation until energy costs decrease in a bid to conserve energy consumption without compromising performance.
The same applies to system maintenance. Consider a sewer system that requires periodic cleaning. Traditionally, pipes are cleaned preemptively to prevent blockages, which can sometimes result in over-cleaning. However, by connecting a model to SCADA data that monitors sewer levels and predicts sediment accumulation, cleaning can be timed more precisely. This “just-in-time” approach optimizes resources, delaying cleaning in some areas while addressing critical spots more frequently to prevent potential issues.
Improved emergency responses
Emergency responses and planning also benefit from this integration. Emergency situations often thrust systems into unfamiliar states, making accurate decision-making a challenge. Again, since the model accounts for various scenarios in which operators can simulate different reactions to mitigate a situation’s impact, operators are able to practice proactive preparedness.
For instance, when an operator finds themselves uncertain about the potential outcomes of a critical pipeline failure, they can simulate the failure within the model to identify strategies for effective responses e.g. augmenting water storage in a reservoir.
Improved ability to predict pipe leaks and breaks
Finally, integrating hydraulic models and SCADA can help better predict leaks and breaks. While breaks manifest as sudden drops in pressure, leaks are often more subtle, causing gradual pressure drifts over time. These small pressure shifts might go unnoticed when operators are scrutinizing data day by day. However, a model linked to SCADA can pick up anomalies and predict leaks by comparing observed and modeled pressures and flows.
Can you still derive value from your hydraulic model even if it’s not 100% accurate?
Even if a hydraulic model is not perfect, it can still provide substantial value. As Dr. George Box stated, “All models are wrong, but some models are useful.” Herein lies the value of linking models with SCADA. The continuous comparison between the model’s predictions and real-time SCADA data fosters a deep understanding of the model’s uncertainties and assumptions. It’s a symbiotic relationship whereby SCADA not only sharpens the model’s accuracy but also heightens our awareness of its limitations.
We also can gain enough understanding of the uncertainty where we can make decisions with an imperfect model. Plus, we can link the models to AI or conduct Monte Carlo simulations which involves acknowledging our limited knowledge of all the inputs and instead experimenting with various input scenarios to observe a wide range of possible outcomes.
For example, when we look at initial and boundary conditions, the model adapts to SCADA data, accounting for pump status and rules even when operators make changes. This real-time adaptation ensures the model mirrors current system behavior, including operator-initiated pump changes. SCADA also allows the precise input of tank levels to help establish an accurate simulation starting point.
Secondly, let’s consider model validation which involves comparing model outputs with actual system conditions. When we compare the model’s predictions with real-world data from SCADA, we get a clear picture of how closely the model aligns with the system’s behavior. If disparities surface and the model’s predictions start to deviate, this divergence could signal the need to fine-tune the model or, even more interestingly, reevaluate the understanding of the system itself.
Model recalibration, which occurs when the model and the real system diverge significantly, can also be improved. Occasionally, the model itself may encounter challenges in keeping pace. For instance, changes in demands – a dynamic variable in the model – could escape inputs, leading to discrepancies. But, by linking the model with SCADA, we can incorporate real-time demand data into the model, ensuring that the model remains synchronized with the system’s behavior.
However, the divergence might not always be the model’s fault. Sometimes, the system itself evolves in unexpected ways. For example, real-world anomalies such as a closed valve that shouldn’t be closed or a pump that’s gradually declining in performance can skew the assumed disparities between the model and reality. By using SCADA data to compare the model’s predictions with the actual system’s performance, we can not only refine the model but also gain insights into the system’s behavior and improve our understanding.
How engineers, modelers, and operators benefit from integrating models with SCADA and work together more effectively
Engineers, modelers, and operators all enjoy the benefits of the integration between hydraulic models and SCADA, and all contribute to ensure a collaborative approach to successful utility management.
Engineers
Engineers provide the crucial input data, asset information, and pipe sizes which are vital for building hydraulic models. In return, they reap the rewards of increased data utilization, which also means that they can justify investing in GIS systems that are used within the Digital Twin. Equipped with this Digital Twin, engineers gain an enhanced ability to identify issues within the system.
But perhaps the most compelling impact engineers make is in the realm of project justification. When engineers propose new projects, such as building a pipeline, the presence of a real-time twin makes it easier to obtain project approvals. Armed with a Digital Twin that can help demonstrate how the proposed project upholds resilience in the system and ensures supply continuity, engineers are far better placed to secure the green light for projects.
Modelers
Modelers are the experts who provide the model itself. Due to the fact that the model is an integral part of the Digital Twin ecosystem, modelers are rewarded with a model that is not just created but also used. This also encourages further investments in the refining and enhancement of the model.
In return, modelers benefit from automated updates and recalibrations, ensuring that the model continues to evolve to mirror the system with increasing accuracy. However, they also help spot discrepancies that reveal system operation issues or data inconsistencies, which in turn drives needed adjustments and enhancements. Ultimately, modelers not only provide the model but also fuel a process of ongoing improvement and understanding of real-world dynamics.
Operators
Operators play a crucial role in providing an invaluable SCADA system that serves as the foundation for real-time data. As a result, they experience a significant increase in the utilization of SCADA data.
However, their impact goes even further. Operators unlock the full potential of predictive analytic tools, powered by SCADA data, which offer proactive perspectives on system behavior that empower operators to make informed decisions and improve system performance.
Ultimately, this dynamic interaction between engineers, modelers, operators, and Digital Twins shapes a future where data-driven insights and collaborative endeavors ensure the efficient and resilient operation of water utilities.
Qatium Experts
Saša Tomič, Digital Water Lead at Burns & McDonnell, is a Qatium advisor. Qatium is co-created with experts and thought leaders from the water industry. We create content to help utilities of all sizes face current and future challenges. Saša is one of many experts that we co-create with Qatium.
