Every drop counts

Digital solutions help protect

water resources

Summary
Digitalization enables more efficient and more sustainable processes in
the water industry
Companies in the water and waste water industry must adapt their systems
and plants to climate, demographic, and structural change. In order to meet
these challenges in a sustainable way, the industry must connect the demand
and supply sides for both water supply and waste water disposal to an inte­
grated data platform to achieve a circular water economy. In this context,
digital solutions can help achieve savings and provide optimization oppor­
tunities in many areas, including data acquisition, assistance systems, the
networking and integration of subsystems, distributed services, and even
autonomous infrastructure systems.
Use cases demonstrate the potential and benefits
Using three application scenarios, this whitepaper shows that digitalization
can be successfully implemented already today. Digital applications help
reduce energy consumption in water and waste water treatment, minimize
non-revenue water, and enable optimal use of the buffer capacity in sewage
networks. Each scenario is presented in detail, illustrating the benefits of
digitalization for the water and waste water industry.
Integrated solutions for the entire water cycle
To optimize operation, water and waste water plants and infrastructure systems
require intelligent control and management systems. Siemens supports the
industry with a comprehensive set of solutions for the entire water cycle.

siemens.com/water

© Siemens 2020
Water in the 21st century:
stressing resources

Water shortage as a global and local issue Challenges for a sustainable water economy
Access to clean water is a human right. However, in many Companies in the water and waste water industry need to
regions, people lack a secure supply of drinking water. address the challenge of adapting their systems to ongoing
Additionally, climate change, urbanization, and contamina­ climate, demographic, and structural change. A growing
tion from agriculture and industrial production threaten number of both private and industry users are located in
water quality in lakes, rivers, and aquifers. Pollution is one metropolitan areas, where the demand for water and the
of the key factors stressing water resources in developed amount of waste water generated both continue to rise. To
countries, making clean water an increasingly scarce and safeguard surface and groundwater quality, requirements
valuable resource that requires special protection. For for waste water treatment are becoming increasingly
example, 36 river basins in Europe fail to meet the EU stringent. And finally, plant operators must protect natural
Resource Efficiency Roadmap targets that limit water water bodies from uncontrolled release of contaminated
extraction to 20% of renewable resources, even though waste water through overflooding of waste water systems,
water consumption has been reduced by 19% since 1990. even under extreme conditions caused by storms or heavy
rainfall.
In 2015, as a result of hot and dry summer conditions, the
share of people affected by water scarcity increased to 30% For sustainable water and waste water management, the
in Europe – up from 20% in 2014.¹ At the same time, industry must connect the demand and supply sides for
urbanization has caused local consumption to exceed the both water supply and waste water disposal to an integrat­
regeneration capacities of natural water resources even in ed data platform to achieve a circular water economy,
wet and precipitation-rich areas. In 2013, 60% of cities and focusing on three areas of action: optimization of energy
metropolitan areas in Europe were overexploiting their consumption in the treating of water and waste water,
groundwater resources.² On top of this, contamination reduction of non-revenue water by quickly detecting and
from intensively used land and the release of insufficiently eliminating leaks, and optimization of capacity manage­
treated waste water have impaired water quality, so that ment by improving the use of buffer capacities in sewage
increasingly complex methods of treatment are needed to networks.
produce drinking and process water of adequate quality.
• Optimizing energy consumption:
Based on real-time data, plant operators can make
­informed decisions that significantly improve plant
­efficiency, for example, by optimizing pump schedules
to reduce energy costs using dedicated tools.
• Reducing non-revenue water
Integrated monitoring of the supply network helps
­operators identify leakages in a timely and targeted way
as well as ensure compliance with quality requirements
and enable demand-driven water treatment.
• Reducing contamination of water bodies:
Model-based optimization solutions enable plant operators
to free up sufficient buffering capacity in their systems
prior to a heavy rainfall event to hold the added water.
These solutions also support operators in adapting the set
points in their waste water treatment plants to the
changed waste water composition.

Climate change, contaminants, urbanization: to protect the usable

water resources in a sustainable manner, the water and waste water
industry has to face numerous challenges

¹ Use of Freshwater Resources, European Environment Agency ² A Water Blueprint for Europe, European Union, 2013
Assessment, 2018

© Siemens 2020 2
 Increasing efficiency and cutting costs drive Networking, modeling, and simulation
­digitalization efforts By networking and integrating process, engineering, and
The German Water Partnership e. V., the leading associa­ operational data, the entire technical and organizational
tion for the German water sector, views digitalization as a process and value chain of a water system can be repre­
major lever for savings and optimization in the water and sented in a digital model of buildings and plants. This
waste water industry.³ Digital solutions can be beneficial in results in a so-called digital twin, a data-based plant model
many areas, including data acquisition, assistance systems, that incorporates all design and operational data over the
the networking and integration of subsystems, distributed entire plant lifecycle. This digital twin supports the on­
services, and even autonomous infrastructure systems. going optimization of engineering, operation, and mainte­
Following are the three major drivers of digitalization: ⁴ nance procedures. Intelligent linking of data from plant
operation with global data such as weather reports, com­
• Increasing efficiency in water and waste water treatment,
bined with advanced data analysis methods like machine
water distribution, and waste water collection, as well as
learning, allows users to both optimize day-to-day plant
streamlining communication with users
operation and better respond to unusual events (e.g.,
• Cost savings through improved monitoring of water heavy rainfall, pipe bursts). Such solutions are already
and waste water infrastructure systems and demand- available today to enable data integration and analysis,
driven operation of systems and plants both as on-premises software solutions and as secure
cloud solutions.
• Compliance with increasingly stringent regulatory
­requirements for water and waste water quality as well
as for supply and treatment security and quality

Modeling and machine learning can help opti-

mize and simplify industrial water management.
For instance, sensor data can be acquired on-site
and (pre-)processed with edge computing. The
data are then used to develop and refine a
matching model that incorporates advanced
neuronal algorithms to predict scenarios and
system behavior. The quality of the results de-
pends on the time and data available for training
the algorithm. Users can then access the results
of the model via suitable applications.

³ Water 4.0, German Water Partnership, 2019 ⁴ Market Research Report: Water’s Digital Future: The Outlook for
Monitoring, Control and Data Management Systems, Global Water
Intelligence, 2016

© Siemens 2020 3
Reducing energy consumption through
optimized pump operation

Situation tors have immediate access to the relevant information for

Pumping water during transport, buffering, or treatment their requirements.
requires many (often large) pumps that account for a
Benefits
major share of the energy consumed in the water and
SIWA Optim integrates all parameters that are relevant to
waste water industry. Therefore, optimizing the energy
plant optimization. Pumps and valves can then be operated
consumption of pumps can help significantly reduce en­
in a smart and demand-driven way, which helps reduce
ergy costs – for example, by exploiting low-tariff times in
operational costs and resource consumption.
flexible cost plans for electricity. Tanks and reservoirs can
be filled when there is excess electricity in the grid and Plant operators benefit from
tariffs are low. Saving energy not only reduces costs but
• lower energy consumption and lower costs,
also helps reduce the carbon footprint of the water and
waste water industry and decrease overall resource con­ • improved security of supply,
sumption. In addition, optimized plant operation reduces
• streamlined operations and maintenance,
equipment stress and increases the availability and service
life of pumps and other components. • shorter response times to unplanned events, and

Solution • powerful modeling and simulation tools.

Energy- and cost-efficient operation must not, however,
impair security of operation. That is why plant operators
need to rely on and analyze current data in real time, both
from their plants and from other sources: consumption
patterns, available assets for base and peak load operation,
buffer capacities, and demand forecasts. These data must
be acquired and analyzed with powerful advanced algo­
rithms, and the results must be presented to the operator
in a meaningful dashboard. This information enables
operators to identify the optimum trigger points for pumps
and valves and the optimum pump combinations and
speeds for the given hydraulic head and load curves for
tanks based on current data – while ensuring continuous
and secure operation.
For this purpose, smart applications such as SIWA Optim
acquire data from the process control system and link them
to data from public
utilities, consump­
tion forecasts, and
other sources. The
data can be ana­
Using applications such as SIWA
lyzed both on the
Optim, plant operators can optimize
premises and in the
pump and valve operation and
MindSphere cloud.
schedules according to current plant
The results can be
data and consumption forecasts as
filtered and ana­
well as daily tariffs for electrical
lyzed according to
energy. This results in energy and
individual task
cost savings of up to 15% while
(analysis, optimiza­
ensuring security of supply.
tion, mode of opera­
tion) so that opera­

© Siemens 2020 4
Reducing non-revenue water through
faster leak detection

Situation large or sudden leaks with minimal delay and high preci­
Globally, water that is fed into the pipe networks and then sion. The SIWA Leak application, for example, uses data
lost through leakage or theft is a major issue for the water from the automation systems and can be deployed at the
industry. In some regions, more than 50% of processed plant level. The results of the analysis can be displayed
water is lost during pipeline transport.⁵ This non-revenue directly in the SIMATIC PCS 7 process control system so
water not only impacts the economic performance of water that operators receive an immediate notification. Addition­
supply companies; it also increases pressure on natural ally, cloud-based applications such as SIWA LeakPlus pow-
water resources, as more water is produced than is actually ered by BuntPlanet ⁶ combine data from the water distribu­
needed. Unaccounted-for losses of waste water, in con­ tion network with cloud computing, artificial intelligence,
trast, are often a major source of contamination and can and hydraulics simulations to detect hidden anomalies that
affect water quality. Major events such as pipe bursts can point to leaks. The results are presented to operators via a
also damage infrastructure and neighboring properties. dashboard.
Therefore, plant and network operators need to detect and
Benefits
locate leaks quickly and precisely.
Using digital tools, plant operators can detect leaks faster
In addition to leaks, water theft and unbilled authorized and with greater precision. This helps
consumption (e.g., for firefighting) can lead to high levels
• reduce leakage times and rates (by up to 50% with SIWA
of non-revenue water, and metering inaccuracies can
LeakPlus),
result in apparent losses in pipe networks. A leak detection
solution must be able to discriminate between the various • reduce or eliminate the resulting damage through faster
types of non-revenue water or unaccounted-for water loss detection,
and support a cost-benefit analysis for service and modern­
• decrease operational and maintenance costs through
ization projects
demand-driven asset management, and
Solution
• increase detection resolution and precision in identifying
Advanced tools help detect pipe leaks using data from
the location and size of leaks using AI.
existing metering and automation systems. The applica­
tions are able to combine different measuring methods
(flow rates, mass balance, pressure wave analysis, pressure
drops) and can detect both small or creeping losses and

Digital solutions such as SIWA

­LeakPlus use current plant data and
AI methods to detect losses in the
water distribution network. Based
on predefined criteria, the applica-
tion detects leaks and pipe bursts in
a district metered area or pressure
management area.

⁵ “Non-revenue Water,” Wikipedia, 2019 ⁶ A Siemens collaboration partner

© Siemens 2020 5
Reducing contamination of water bodies
with optimized sewer management

Situation as SIWA Sewer enable dynamic online optimization of

In many countries, surface runoff and sewage are collected sewer operation based on current levels in the sewers,
in a mixed sewer system. This can result in an uncontrolled holdup tanks, and overspill tanks as well as rainfall predic­
sewer overflow in the event of heavy rainfall, which re­ tion from weather forecasts. The optimization algorithm
leases untreated or contaminated water into the environ­ runs continuously (three-minute intervals) and results in
ment. As heavy rainfall events are predicted to occur with optimized schedules for pump and valve operation and
increasing frequency, especially in Europe, due to climate optimized set points for affected plants and systems.
change, plant operators must enable their sewer systems Schedules and set points are transferred to the SCADA or
to safely handle peak inflow events. In addition to the distributed control system via OPC UA.
construction of additional buffers for surface runoff, flex­
Benefits
ible and predictive operation of existing capacities can
Digital tools help operate gates, locks, and pumps based on
improve plant and network performance in such events,
current rainfall forecasts to optimize sewer management
especially since the inflow of large amounts of surface
as well as waste water treatment performance, thereby
runoff can impair the performance of waste water treat­
preventing uncontrolled release of sewage into the envi­
ment plants.
ronment. Both plant operators and affected communities
Climate change results not only in more frequent heavy benefit from
rainfall events but also the exact opposite. Dry spells (and
• optimum sewer utilization,
water conservation efforts) cause insufficient flushing of
pipes and waste water systems, resulting in the scaling and • optimum waste water treatment performance,
blocking of pipes as well as odors from the sewer system.
• effective support for and relief of operators during
To avoid these problems, waste water must be pumped
­normal and extreme operating conditions, and
through the system to flush the sewers. Operators require
demand-driven pump control and appropriate buffer ca­ • savings due to reduced investment in additional holdup
pacities to address these issues. tanks and structures.

Solution
An intelligent central solution for sewer management and
control can enable the buffer capacity in the sewer net­
work to be used to relieve pipelines and even out the
inflow to waste water treatment plants. Applications such

SIWA Sewer was developed specifi-

cally for operators of sewer net-
works and sewage treatment plants.
The system controls the sewer
network and regulates waste water
flow. The result is a more even
inflow to the sewage treatment
plants, thus reducing energy costs
and preventing discharge of un-
treated sewage into natural water
bodies.

© Siemens 2020 6
Digital solutions for the water industry

Ready for the Digital Enterprise plants and infrastructure in an intelligent way. Siemens
Implementing Industry 4.0 strategies in the water industry supports these efforts with a tailored set of solutions for
to create Water 4.0 solutions entails the comprehensive the entire water cycle, from drinking water processing
networking and analysis of data across existing systems (including desalination), water transport, pump stations,
and organizations. The Siemens strategy for the Digital and supply networks to sewer networks, pump stations,
Enterprise addresses critical aspects of Industry 4.0 such as and sewage treatment systems.
integrated engineering and integrated operations, cloud
Siemens Industry Suite – smart apps for the water and
connectivity with the open Internet of Things (IoT) operat­
waste water industry
ing system MindSphere, and dedicated applications for
The water industry of the future will control and manage
data analysis and processing in the cloud.
plants and infrastructure in a smart and energy-efficient
From integrated engineering to integrated operations way. To support this vision, Siemens has developed the
Siemens offers a comprehensive portfolio of software and ­Siemens Industry Suite for the water and waste water
automation solutions from integrated engineering to industry. Through the full interaction of applications and
integrated operations that ensure consistent data transfer comprehensive and flexible analysis of plant data in the
through all phases of the plant lifecycle. The COMOS plant virtual MindSphere environment, this offering increases
engineering software ensures a consistent database from information availability over the entire plant lifecycle. The
design and engineering to operation, improving engineer­ suite also includes the Siemens Water (SIWA) apps devel­
ing quality and yielding time and cost benefits for OEMs oped specifically for the water and waste water industry.
and plant operators alike, for example, though parallel These apps help operators optimize energy efficiency,
engineering. Automation data can be transferred from reduce non-revenue water, prevent overspills, and enable
COMOS ­directly to the SIMATIC PCS 7 process control preventive maintenance. The benefits: better security of
system, saving up to 20% of engineering time in automa­ supply, reduced energy consumption, and lower opera­
tion projects. The SIMIT simulation software works directly tional costs. The applications and digital services of the
with data from SIMATIC PCS 7 and COMOS for the testing Siemens Industry Suite for the water and waste water
of all automation and process control routines, which industry enable greater transparency and help identify
supports streamlined commissioning through earlier trou­ efficiency and savings potential while safeguarding secu­
bleshooting and the elimination of problems. Using 3D and rity of supply.
virtual reality in COMOS Walkinside, users can walk through
a virtual model of their plant and train staff at an early
stage. The high degree of integration between COMOS,
SIMATIC PCS 7, and SIMIT results in a consistent solution
from engineering to operation and maintenance.
Horizontal integration of processes and plants
To ensure optimized operations, companies in the water
and waste water industry need to control and manage their

Protecting the environment and

efficient operation go hand in hand,
as Siemens products, systems, and
solutions help both OEMs and plant
operators in the water and waste
water industry prepare for coming
requirements and protect water
resources for future generations.

© Siemens 2020 7
Abbreviations and terms

Edge-computing Distributed data processing at the edge of the network; a

distributed computing paradigm that brings computation and
data storage closer to the location where it is needed, e.g.,
within a plant or automation system
Cloud-computing The on-demand availability of computer system resources,
especially data storage and computing power and/or software
as a service, without direct active management by the user;
generally used to describe data centers available to many users
over the Internet
On-premises software Software that is installed and runs on computers on the prem­
ises of the person or organization using the software, rather
than at a remote facility such as a server farm or cloud
Machine learning A subset of artificial intelligence; the scientific study of algo­
rithms and statistical models that computer systems use to
perform a specific task without using explicit instructions,
relying on patterns and inference instead
AI Artificial intelligence; a discipline of computer science that
deals with intelligence demonstrated by machines (machine
intelligence) and includes (automated) machine learning
DMA District metered area; a subnet in a distribution network
PMA Pressure management area; a subnet in a distribution network
SIWA Abbreviation for Siemens Water; a family of apps (SIWA Optim,
SIWA Leak, SIWA LeakPlus, SIWA Sewer) developed specifically
for the water and waste water industry

Published by Learn more at

Siemens AG siemens.com
Digital Industries Home > Market-Specific
Process Automation Solutions > Water Industry
Östliche Rheinbrückenstr. 50 > Digitalization
76187 Karlsruhe, Germany

© Siemens 2020 8