OSIsoft’s PI World Goes Virtual
OSIsoft is extending an invite for you to attend the first virtual PI World, OSIsoft’s flagship customer event, on May 5.
This virtual event will feature over 60 customer, partner and company presentations online available at no cost, according to the press release. Participants will have the chance to interact with presenters and PI System experts from the comfort of home via webinars and virtual labs, or you can watch when you’re available.
A few highlights that customers and experts plan to discuss at PI World in the water industry include:
A HRSD Story: How we use the PI System to Monitor Events on our Infrastructure:
Hampton Roads, Virginia is situated in a unique part of the U.S.; most of the seven cities that make up this region are below sea level and located amidst the rising Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean. During hurricane season, the region can be impacted by heavy rainfall, intensified storm surges and strong winds that sometimes leaves the area inundated for days at a time. The Hampton Roads Sanitation District (HRSD), a Virginia wastewater utility, has employed various components of the PI system to provide insight into storms in real-time to allow HRSD’s critical emergency response personnel to react efficiently and mitigate damage to our infrastructure and public safety.
AF Templates and First Steps in CyanoToxin Detection:
In 2018, the City of Salem experienced a cyanotoxin health scare in its finished drinking water due to algae bloom. You'll find out how the City of Salem's Public Works is using momentum from this event to change the data culture from passive data collection to predictive data analytics. They are building harmful algae bloom (HAB) prediction software with the help of OSIsoft and The Prediction Lab. In addition, they have built out AF Structure and templates that allowed dynamic (templated) displays, utilized AF SDK to extract satellite image data showing toxin levels in the water source, fed data to OSU mathematics professors through a partnership to allow them to feed predictive ecological models back to CoS, and more.
To register for the event and view the above presentations and more on May 5, please visit: https://piworld.osisoft.com/2020-online/.
Grundfos Expands Quick Ship Program to Large SP Submersible
Grundfos announced the official launch of the Large SP Submersible Quick Ship Program. This is designed to help customers increase uptime and productivity and Grundfos will now ship all qualifying in-stock Grundfos 6 in., 8 in., and 10 in. submersible pumps and motors within 24 hours after the order is placed.
“We’re improving product availability and positioning stock closer to our partners,” said Matt Barton, Grundfos regional supply chain director. “This new addition to the Quick Ship Program allows us to offer a quick response solution for many of our Large SP submersible applications. Customers depend on Grundfos to deliver quickly during their time of need, and we are here to support them.”
Customers can use the Grundfos Product Center to select the model and size for the application, then check the quick ship list for the in-stock model, according to the press release.
Requests for pumps not included in the Quick Ship Program will be handled through the normal quoting process. For more information on Grundfos Quick Ship Programs, visit https://lp.us.grundfos.com/quick-ship.html.
Can'd Aid Provides Clean Drinking Water Through Partnerships
Atlas Copco USA’s employee-driven Water for All program has again teamed up with Can’d Aid to support the distribution of fresh drinking water to Americans most in need.
The project supported the Food Bank of the Rockies in its mission to provide food security for Colorado families.
The essential drinking water was produced by Oskar Blues Brewery, which adapted its standard beer-production process to produce cans of fresh drinking water. Blues has done this several times at a number of its regional locations to help those in need, usually in response to large hurricanes or other natural disasters. This is the fourth time that Atlas Copco has partnered with Can’d Aid to provide clean drinking water to an area with an immediate need for it, according to the press release.
“As communities struggle to handle aspects of the novel coronavirus, it’s humbling to be one of several partners coming together to provide needed water to the overlooked,” said Diana Ralston, executive director of Can’d Aid. “We could not facilitate water donations to those in need during this crisis without the continued support and financial backing from Atlas Copco.”
ABB Launches New Augmented Reality Technology
ABB has launched new augmented reality technology, developed specifically to meet the needs of field operators.
The technology will assist with seamless integration between the field and the plant distributed control system offering improved safety, reducing the risk for human error and making field operations more efficient, according to the press release. The technology enables interactive execution of procedures using a mobile device to guide operators through each step in a consistent, effective and safe way.
“Human error continues to be a significant contributing factor to safety issues, as well as production down time, said Chris Naunheimer, digital lead of energy industries, ABB. “Engineers spend considerable time using and interpreting data. With this solution, we intend to address these challenges and truly transform the future of work.”
The system can be used in any industrial environment, in greenfield and brownfield sites, for start-up, routine maintenance, and shutdown activities, added the press release.
City of Los Angeles Named Innovator of the Year
The Los Angeles Better Buildings Challenge named the city of Los Angeles winner of its Walk the Walk Award for outstanding water conservation during the past year.
City officials installed an electrochemical treatment system that reduces process water used in cooling towers by millions of gallons of water per year. This system was developed by Dynamic Water Technologies and the installation is reducing water usage at City Hall East by more than 20% on an annual basis.
The system has been in place for 21 months and has saved 2.45 million gallons of water to date.
"This project is exciting because it accomplishes multiple goals at once. We are saving water, saving money and moving away from chemicals," said Mark Roussel, assistant director of the Building Maintenance Division at the City of Los Angeles. "It's a win all around. We are proud to partner with the LA Better Buildings Challenge to share these exciting results."
City of Houston and Seven Co-Participant Members to Build New Southeast Transmission Line
The City of Houston is partnering with seven cities and water authorities to build a new southeast transmission line that will transmit up to 75 million gallons a day (MGD) of surface water from the Southeast Water Purification Plant.
The new 54-inch water line will be completed in 2025, serving the City of Houston and its partners, including: League City/Gulf Coast Water Authority, Clear Lake City Water Authority, City of Webster, City of Friendswood, Baybrook Municipal Utility District (MUD) No. 1, Harris County MUD No. 55 and City of Pasadena.
Approximately 10 MGD of water will be distributed to the City of Houston’s customers and its partners will receive 65 MGD of water, reported the press release.
The new water line will replace an aging 42-inch water line that currently runs from the Southeast Water Purification Plant to League City’s booster pump station along Highway 3 in Webster. The existing nine-mile water line was constructed in the early 1970s and is nearing the end of its expected design life.
Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, Inc. (LAN) will serve as technical advisor, providing design and easement acquisition support services. The City of Houston has also selected four firms to serve as design engineers: Gunda Corporation, Binkley & Barfield, Inc., Nathelyne A Kennedy & Associates, Texas American Engineering, LLC.
Design will be conducted in four segments and begin in mid-to-late 2020, reported the press release. Construction is scheduled to start in late 2022. League City will finance $52.4 million of the project, the City of Houston will fund $17.2 million and Friendswood will contribute $12.5 million. More than $9.5 million will come from Webster, while Harris County MUD 55 and Baybrook MUD will commit $9.1 million and $7.5 million, respectively. Clear Lake City Water Authority will fund $9.4 million and the City of Pasadena will allocate $47,000.
MFG Chemical & EcoVadis Sustainability Program
MFG Chemical is partnering with EcoVadis to measure and continuously improve its sustainability profile.
EcoVadis’ program provides reliable Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) scores across 21 CSR indicators within four categories, including: environment, labor and human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement.
“MFG Chemical, which has already made plant safety and customer confidentiality part of its DNA, will now add sustainability to its core values. We believe this will benefit our customers and communities all along the supply chain”, stated MFG Chemical President & CEO Paul Turgeon.