Wastewater treatment plant
IoT makes wastewater treatment plant maintenance plannable: sensors monitor blowers, compressors and pumps remotely and continuously. Operators detect faults early, avoid trips to remote sites and reduce energy and maintenance costs.
Wastewater treatment plant at a glance
Most frequent in the projects on this page
Use cases
Technologies
Users in these projects
Verified projects featuring Wastewater treatment plant
Real-time monitoring – a Plug&Play retrofit for water networks
A modular solution for the future of wastewater treatment
Tefal reduces energy costs and environmental impact with the GENESIS64 platform
Remote monitoring for wastewater treatment plants reduces maintenance costs
Wastewater treatment plant maintenance based on condition
In the solution examples, digital sensors collect machine data and water quality data. AERprogess from Aerzen Digital Systems uses existing measuring points and retrofitted sensors on blowers and compressors for this, and the values go to the control room and the cloud. The base module provides live monitoring and maintenance logs, the AI-based Condition Monitoring module reports when maintenance is due, and Energy Management analyses intake temperatures, differential and intake pressures and the condition of filter cartridges. Tefal connects its on-site treatment plant via ICONICS' GENESIS64 platform, which links to SCADA and ERP systems and supports OPC UA, MQTT and Modbus.
The examples come from energy and environment and from industry, as energy monitoring, remote reading and water quality monitoring. At the joint Bad Pyrmont-Lügde treatment plant, the operator's energy analysis shows that blowers and compressors account for 60 to 70 percent of energy costs. Stadtwerke Pyrmont now uses Aerzen Digital to watch its machines continuously rather than only during inspection rounds, and orders spare parts early. In Rumilly, Tefal monitors operating times and wastewater volumes and records energy consumption by device and area.
Podcast episodes featuring Wastewater treatment plant
Wastewater treatment plant maintenance: frequently asked questions
How does remote monitoring reduce wastewater treatment plant maintenance costs?
Remote monitoring replaces many inspection trips and reveals problems long before a machine fails. At the Bad Pyrmont-Lügde plant, where the pumping stations are a 16-kilometre drive away, operators use AERprogess to watch their machines continuously instead of only during inspection rounds. Spare parts are ordered early, and makeshift repairs with parts on hand are no longer necessary. The plant's service life is extended and maintenance costs fall.
Why is it worth monitoring aeration blowers?
Blowers and compressors account for a large share of energy costs, 60 to 70 percent at the Bad Pyrmont-Lügde plant according to its energy analysis. Clogged air filters or a higher intake temperature caused by exhaust air can raise consumption by up to eight percent, according to Aerzen. Monitoring energy consumption reveals worn parts such as air filter cartridges early, so they can be replaced before they cause high costs up to the point of failure.
Can IoT be connected to a treatment plant's SCADA system?
Yes, the solution examples work alongside existing control systems rather than replacing them. With AERprogess, the data is sent to the control room and processed there. Tefal uses ICONICS' GENESIS64 platform, which connects to SCADA, building management and ERP systems and supports common industrial protocols such as OPC UA, MQTT and Modbus. This allows machine and process data to be displayed in real time on a web-based dashboard.
How does predictive maintenance help with wastewater blowers?
Predictive maintenance detects impending failures of the machines that keep wastewater treatment running and schedules maintenance in good time. The AI-based Condition Monitoring module of AERprogess assesses blowers and compressors for their maintenance needs and reports when service is due, before a shutdown occurs. To do this, the cloud platform evaluates operating states, failure probabilities and optimisation potential across the plant.
More assets in “Machinery and Equipment”
Pump
Pump monitoring with IoT records vibration, temperature, pressure and energy consumption of running pumps. Operators detect damage and faults before a pump fails and plan maintenance by condition rather than at fixed intervals.
Compressor
With IoT, compressor maintenance follows actual condition: sensors record current consumption, pressure, temperature and running times. Operators detect creeping damage and unused running time early and cut energy and service costs.
Electric motor
Motor condition monitoring with IoT continuously measures the vibration, temperature and current draw of electric motors. Operators detect imbalance, bearing damage or winding faults early and replace motors based on condition rather than after a failure.
Packaging machine
OEE software automatically records run times, downtime, speed and rejects on packaging machines from the machine signals. Operators see where their lines lose performance, and machine builders use the same data for remote access and digital services.
Refrigeration system
A refrigeration monitoring system makes service plannable: temperatures, refrigerant circuit pressures, compressor status and energy consumption flow into a platform in real time. Operators and service partners detect faults early, avoid unnecessary site visits and reduce excess consumption.
Air conditioning system
Commercial air conditioning systems in offices, retail branches and data centres can be monitored remotely with IoT. Operators see energy consumption, temperatures and faults in one place, detect failing compressors or refrigerant shortages early and plan service visits precisely.
IIoT Use Case user group
What no project tells you
What did the project cost? Which sensor didn't survive in the field? How did you get maintenance on board? 300+ industrial users discuss questions like these with each other every month, openly and without vendors in the room.
Frequent topics in these projects, bring your questions:
- Condition Monitoring
- Energy Monitoring
- Sustainability (ESG)
Online every month
Alternating tech and business focus
Users only
No sales pitches, exchange under NDA
300+ members
OT, IT and IIoT leads from industry
