As part of its Digital Neighbourhood programme, Unitywater is building an intelligent, data-driven platform. Grundfos Telemetry Units and web-based platform help the utility proactively manage its water quality with advanced analytics.
Unitywater
Unitywater is a provider of safe and reliable drinking water and wastewater services to homes and businesses in the Moreton Bay, Sunshine Coast and Noosa areas of South East Queensland.
The situation
A provider of essential water supply and wastewater treatment to approximately 800,000 people, Unitywater had an ambition to transform their water and sewerage network as part of their Digital Neighbourhood programme. Smart metering, leak detection and Water Quality Monitoring formed a key part of this initiative.
Unitywater’s long-term ambition is to have an intelligent data platform where advanced analytics can be used to provide data-driven decision-making to benefit the utility and its customers.
In February 2021 Unitywater awarded a programme of work to SAFEGroup Automation (SGA), a leading Australian provider of control system engineering services, to design and install eight multi-parameter water quality monitoring systems across their network.
Limited by sites with no power and communication, Unitywater required a cost-effective and reliable solution that could provide the necessary water quality monitoring at these sites.
In turn, SGA partnered with Grundfos and ATi UK, a leading provider of analytical sensor monitoring solutions and data analytics for water and gas applications. The battery-powered Grundfos Telemetry IoT unit and ATi’s battery-powered MetriNet Water Quality Monitoring system were selected in order to deliver a complete solution.
The solution
Unitywater’s Water Quality Monitoring solution collects data at various points in the network. Battery-powered equipment at each monitoring point includes a Grundfos Telemetry IoT unit coupled with a MetriNet Water Quality Monitoring system to measure and monitor the following parameters within the network:
- Total, Combined and Free Chlorine
- pH
- ORP
- Conductivity
- Pressure
The MetriNet system has a high level of accuracy and resolution that communicates data to the Grundfos Connect Sensor Platform’s data visualisation application. The Grundfos Telemetry Unit is also able to send data and alarms to Unitywater’s SCADA system using the DNP3 protocol.
Grundfos Telemetry IoT/4G is a self-contained datalogger / remote telemetry unit with:
- Internal battery pack
- IP68 unit enclosure
- Either an IoT (NB-IoT/ CaT-M1) or 4G (with 3G/2G fallback) modem
- Auto-switching internal and external antenna options
- Software configurable AI, CI, DI, Modbus and SDI-12 communication options
- Integrated submersion sensor
- Local diagnostic points
- Intelligent alarm reporting
It communicates with the Grundfos Connect Sensor Platform, DNP3/ WITS DNP3 Masters, or FTPS servers.
Key benefits
Grundfos supplied:
- Grundfos Telemetry IoT units
- Platform integration and data services
Facts:
- Topic: Water Quality Monitoring
- Location: South East Queensland, Australia
- Customer: Unitywater
The outcome
Unitywater’s Water Quality Team can access the Grundfos Connect Sensor Platform remotely, to monitor water quality readings together with trending readings over any given time period.
The key benefit is a much greater understanding of the disinfection behaviour of the water reticulation network, and having real-time visibility of the efficiency and effectiveness of the chlorine levels in the network.
This enables Unitywater to deliver consistent high-quality water to its customers.
This project was originally implemented by Metasphere, a company acquired by Grundfos in 2023. The full Metasphere range of remote monitoring products and solutions for water and wastewater networks and environmental applications is now available through Grundfos.
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