Digital Twins Optimize Water Management

A digital twin is a virtual copy of a real-world entity, like a water system, and how it behaves. It lets you model the network, run what-if simulations, and gather insights for informed decisions. You can use the digital twin to try out new ideas or make changes—virtually, without disturbing your real-world facilities—minimizing risk, time, and cost.

That's essential, because water and wastewater systems face mounting challenges, from increased demand for collection and distribution, evolving regulatory pressures and compliance requirements, new contaminants like micropollutants, deteriorating infrastructure and asset failures, and an aging workforce.

For example, you could use a system-wide digital twin to simulate a heavy downpour and see if your wastewater treatment system can cope—or if the result might be a combined sewer overflow and the resulting reporting and penalties. You could also try various interventions to determine what actions might minimize impacts.

Let's take a closer look at digital twins, their development, use, and benefits for water system and lab managers, and how you can get started.

A Digital Twin's Nuts and Bolts

With water systems and labs providing an essential product and service, managers must ensure they operate in an efficient, resilient, and secure way 24/7. But complex and interconnected collection and distribution networks can run hundreds of miles in length—with numerous components, including pipes, tanks, pump stations, and treatment plants—and can change status instantly. For instance, the Valencia, Spain, water system includes about 560 miles of pipe, 50 pumps, 30 tanks, and 250 valves, which are connected in real time to 430 pressure sensors and 200 flow meters. The digital twin uses 10,000 virtual sensors to replicate the system, along with meters, geographic information systems, and supervisory control and data acquisition systems to provide vital information.

By tracking water quality, flow, and pressure, technicians can detect pollutants and contamination quickly, identify leaks, and predict future water quality, contributing to more efficient and sustainable water management. In addition, applying artificial intelligence (AI) can help water system and lab managers quickly and accurately uncover intricate patterns within complex water quality data. As new data is collected, AI can refine predictions and adapt to changing conditions.

Digital but Not Necessarily Identical

To be useful, all digital twins must be accurately developed, adequately calibrated, and continuously updated. Then, they can serve many different purposes. Pilar Conejos, Digital Twin Manager at Idrica, calls out four types, from least to greatest value in terms of the questions they can answer:

• Descriptive: What is happening?
• Diagnosis: Why is it happening?
• Predictive: What is likely to happen?
• Prescriptive: What actions do we have to take?

The digital twin you build depends on your objectives. Your primary aim might be to support routine operations—monitor and control water quality, locate leaks and reduce non-revenue water, conserve energy, schedule maintenance, respond to emergencies, and detect anomalies. For example, researchers at the University of Berlin have centralized all the information about a wastewater pumping station in a digital twin. They use sensors collecting real-time data to detect and eliminate system failures, all without the need for on-site inspections.

On a broader spatial and time scale, you may want to develop a contingency plan, enhance network design, or create a master plan for water system infrastructure. In Switzerland, for instance, the Upper Engadine wastewater treatment agency used a digital twin of its entire plant before it was even built. The digital twin helped during construction and for operations and maintenance once the plant was up. Also, the digital twin helped employees become familiar with the plant and let them test operating scenarios.

Roadmap To Implementing Digital Twins

Following a roadmap, like the one recently released by Info-Tech Research Group, can help you get started with digital twins. "Build a Water Utility Digital Twin Roadmap" outlines three key steps for managers:

1. Identify the desired outcome: First, know what you want to achieve and how you'll measure success. This means you need to establish a baseline and set performance indicators. Identify potential use cases that fit your strategic goals and drive the most value for your system.
2. Prioritize use cases: Thoroughly analyze tactical initiatives in people, process, and technology, then prioritize their potential impact and feasibility.
3. Create a tactical roadmap: Identify gaps in your digital twin capabilities and develop a detailed procedure to address them. You won't do this just once—it's an iterative approach for continued improvement as your organization's needs evolve.

As challenges to your water system and quality escalate, and the environment grows more complex, a digital twin can enable you to improve operations and build resilience as you strive to deliver the cleanest effluent and drinking water for your customers.