Valmet’s automation systems cover clean water production and wastewater treatment in municipal plants and industrial applications
A global leader in technology and automation, Valmet is revolutionising the water and wastewater industry with cutting-edge solutions. Offering reliability, performance, and sustainability, Valmet’s solutions are transforming the way plants operate. With over 40 years of automation systems experience, Valmet is now venturing into water.
The water industry is facing a host of critical challenges that threaten its ability to provide safe and reliable water services. Water scarcity is intensifying due to climate change, population growth, and urbanisation, placing immense pressure on existing water resources. Aging infrastructure further complicates matters, leading to inefficiencies, leakages, and high maintenance costs. Additionally, water quality is under constant threat from pollution, industrial discharge, and inadequate wastewater treatment. Regulatory demands and the need for sustainable practices add another layer of complexity. Addressing these issues requires innovative solutions, better resource management, and the adoption of advanced technologies to ensure the industry’s long-term resilience.
Automated systems may offer a solution to all these problems. Automation enables real-time monitoring, efficient resource allocation, and predictive maintenance. It reduces human error, enhances operational efficiency, and allows for faster responses to challenges, ensuring better control over water quality and distribution. As the industry faces more complex demands, automating processes is essential for achieving sustainable water management and improving resilience to future challenges.
A History of Future-Forward Solutions
Valmet, an engineering company headquartered in Espoo, Finland, boasts over 220 years of industrial expertise. Since introducing its first digital automation systems in the late 1970s, Valmet has continually advanced its technology. Valmet’s portfolio of automation and measurement solutions draws on decades of pioneering expertise across a wide range of industries. Today, its Distributed Control System (DCS), Valmet DNA, delivers comprehensive process automation across multiple sectors, including the water and wastewater industries. This versatile DCS supports a wide range of applications, from process and machine controls to drive, quality, and condition monitoring, offering reliable and scalable solutions for industrial automation.
Reliability is a cornerstone of any automation system’s lifespan, and Valmet DNA ensures business continuity for industrial and municipal plants through proven lifecycle security. Valmet’s automation solutions are engineered to enhance the profitability of an organisation’s operations by optimising production performance, and improving cost, material, and energy efficiency.
Simplifying Complexity, Amplifying Results
Valmet DNA is designed to support all operator tasks with clear, intuitive interfaces that provide instant access to accurate information. With easy-to-understand visuals, operators can quickly access key features like trending data, alarm analysis, device diagnostics, and reporting, allowing for immediate action in any situation. The straightforward design of the Valmet DNA interface promotes efficient problem-solving and decision-making, tailored specifically for production professionals. Process pictures offer an intuitive view of the workflow, enhanced by graphical navigation and seamless integration with maintenance systems.
Valmet DNA empowers operators by providing them with the right tools, information, and connections to handle complex situations confidently. This blend of intuitive design and reliable data access is at the core of Valmet DNA’s approach to automation—it’s in their DNA.
SUCCESS STORIES
- World’s Largest Membrane Water Reuse Project, Sulaibiya, Kuwait
The project involves changing municipal effluent waste water into high quality reclaimed water for the use of agriculture. It can be used as an alternative source of water for agriculture instead of using potable water needed by Kuwaiti residents. The automation order was placed by Kharafi National, a contractor responsible for the engineering, procurement and construction, and Valmet’s value-added reseller (VAR) in Kuwait.
Capacity change from3,75,000 m3/day to 6,00,000 m3/day
Advanced technology required: Valmet DNA automation system to cover the entire process
- Central control room in Sulaibiya
- Site in two locations: Sulaibiya and Ardiya
- Automation scope in total 2,600 I/Os
- Underground Wastewater Treatment Plant, City of Helsinki, Finland
Helsinki Water Works takes care of the wastewater treatment for the capital and many neighboring communities. The Viikinmäki wastewater treatment plant is constructed underground and has seven parallel lines. It processes 100 millionm3 of wastewater per year.
In addition to the process lines, facilities for pretreatment,sludge treatment, machinery and equipment have been excavatedinto rock. Most of the process facilities are above sea level. Thetotal space is 1.1 million m3.
The main objective was to create an automation solution to control the plant24 hours a day.
The Valmet DNA automation system has been in use since 1994.
- Activated sludge process
- Automation scope 10,500 I/O
- 8 Valmet TS to help maintain optimized solids
- 2 Valmet LS for accurate measurements
- Valmet SDO to optimize and automate centrifuge operation
Source: Valmet Technologies, rakesh.uniyal@valmet.com
