Page 3 - trends in automation

Dear reader,
Access to water and avoiding water shortages will be
hugely important topics in the future. According to a UN
report, the millennium target of a clean drinking water supply
for 90% of the world’s population was reached, but the related
goal for sanitation was missed by a long way. Reaching the
drinking water target sounds positive, but it means that 10% of
the earth’s inhabitants still have no access to clean water.
And the situation will get worse. Current studies forecast
increasing water scarcity, e.g. in 2030 the total water demand
can’t be met by groundwater and surface water. We need
a paradigm shift in this field and in the technologies used in
order to satisfy future requirements. Yet it is not just
technologies that have to be modernised, our mindset must
also change. Wastewater, for example, should no longer be
seen as a burden; it must be seen as raw material, as a source
for our future water supply. Singapore is already setting a good
example. One third of the water supply (mostly in the industrial
sector) is already covered by treated wastewater.
As engineers, our challenge is to drive this change with
innovative technology as well as smart solutions when
refurbishing plants. Pneumatic actuators can provide our
customers with great value in various ways. The consumption
of electricity can be reduced from 5% to 30% by using energy
efficient methods. By simply exchanging non-return valves for
pneumatic operated knife gate valves in pumping installations
savings of 10% can be achieved. And pumps are by far the
largest consumer. Savings in the required electrical
infrastructure can also be obtained through the ‘pneumatic
battery’ (see pages 28/29) or the self-sustaining power supply of
decentralised systems (see pages 34/35).
All these examples show that the usage of energy can be
improved by many different means and that as engineers
we can and have to contribute to overcome water shortages
in the future.
Yours,
Steve Land
Process Automation Industry Sector Manager
Steve Land,
Process Automation Industry Sector Manager
Sustainable
water solutions