< Previous40 MEP Middle East | June 2021 www.mepmiddleeast.com SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS It is said that as much as half of the world’s electricity is consumed by motors. Motor-driven systems in the industry sector alone consume 64% of the electric energy, while these systems consume 20% of electric energy in the commercial sector, and 15% in the residential sector. There is a growing focus on improving the effi ciencies of motors and reducing energy consumption to meet the carbon emission targets around the world, especially given the recent high profi le investments in this area as well as validation from key governments and industry leaders to further promote the development and adoption of energy-effi cient motors across the various sectors. The International Effi ciency (IE) standards stipulate the levels of energy effi ciency, setting fi ve levels of motor effi ciency, namely IE1 to IE5, with IE5 – the ‘ultra-premium effi ciency’ – as the highest effi ciency level. These IE codes also serve as a reference for governments who specify the effi ciency levels for minimum energy performance standards in their respective countries. Pumps account for a large portion of this electricity consumed across the various sectors, especially in industrial and commercial sectors. As a world leading manufacturer of pumps and pump equipment, Grundfos has specifi cally taken energy effi ciency into consideration for its electrical motors. For instance, the Grundfos’ MGE e-motors exceeds the IE5 requirements. For the MGE 11.0 kW 3x380-500V medium speed, the IE5 requirement for the motor effi ciency is 93.2 %, but the Grundfos MGE e-motor exceeds that by more than 2% by having a motor effi ciency of 95.7 % at 380V/2600 rpm. The PDS (Power Drive System, including Variable Frequency Drive or VFD) effi ciency of a MGE 11,0 kW reaches as highs as 93.2 % at 380V/2900 rpm. So even including the VFD, the MGE motor matches the IE5 requirements for the motor itself. High effi ciency e-pumps with IE5 motors contribute substantially to energy savings and reduced CO2 footprint. Grundfos estimates that the yearly avoided CO2 emission can be signifi cant. In 2020 alone, Grundfos avoided 270,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions through the implementation of its e-pumps. Furthermore, Grundfos iSOLUTIONS brings a new era of intelligence to pump systems and water technology with solutions that look beyond individual components to optimise the entire system. Powered by the company’s deep understanding of water, Grundfos IE5 e-motors, e-pumps spur energy efficiency, lower consumption Grundfos estimates that CO2 emissions can be significantly reduced each year. For instance, in 2020 alone, the firm avoided 270,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions through its e-pumpsJune 2021 | MEP Middle East 41 www.mepmiddleeast.com SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS iSOLUTIONS utilises intelligent pumps, cloud connectivity, and digital services. Together they enable real-time monitoring, remote control, fault prediction, and system optimisation to help you reach a new level of performance. Grundfos iSOLUTIONS also delivers the optimal combination of pumps, drives, and auxiliary components for the specifi c application, incorporating special features and functions and building on application knowledge and experience. iSOLUTIONS allows easy integration of pumps, drives, measurement, controls, protections, and communication, saving you valuable engineering, installation, and commissioning time. Grundfos has many success stories from around the world on how e-motors and iSOLUTIONS are helping its customers solve their water management issues as well as helping them converse water and energy, thereby reducing their costs and carbon emissions. For example, Taka Solutions – an energy consulting company – worked with Grundfos to determine the problems around the existing HVAC pumping systems in three buildings belonging to H&H Property Management and Development in Dubai - Indigo Towers (residential), Green Tower (commercial) and Falcon Tower (residential). These building were experiencing unusually high electricity costs. A Grundfos Energy Check determined that the buildings were equipped with oversized pumps, ineffi cient operation and poor balancing in their constant, primary chiller systems, and these pumps ran at constant speed. Thus, Grundfos recommended changing to close-coupled, end-suction pumps with variable frequency drives – intelligent NB-E pumps. These could provide the exact fl ow requirements to the chillers without wastage and improve the Delta-T to fi ve degrees Celsius. H&H saw results almost immediately. At Indigo Tower, the pumps previously used 36 kW every hour. After the upgrade, they used between 7-10 kW/h. Now, two years in operation, they use 81% less electricity than used previously. In addition, not only is the pump effi ciency better, but the effi ciency of the whole HVAC system is also much better. Actual payback time on the investment is just eight months. The numbers on the other two building retrofi ts in 2018 tell similar stories. Falcon Tower cut its pumps’ electricity consumption by 46% and Green Tower cut its use by 57%. Overall, the buildings improved their total energy savings – including that from chillers, ventilation, and lights – between 20-25%. Commenting on the growing focus and adoption of e-motors, the chief technology offi cer at Grundfos, Markus Brandstetter, said: “Digital transformation is inevitable across the various segments. “We at Grundfos are proud to pioneer in creating the products and digital solutions of the future. “Our focus on developing IE5 e-motors is strategic not only for our business, but we also see that these e-motors are a critical solution to alleviating the world’s energy and climate issues.”42 MEP Middle East | June 2021 www.mepmiddleeast.com SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS Brandstetter added: “E-motors are known to not only improve the effi ciency of the entire system but also help in reducing energy consumption and helping us mitigate climate change. This is what we push further to the benefi t of our customers and end-users in reducing cost and CO2 emissions.” Further, the in-built application control in MGE, e-motors reduce not only the energy consumption of the pump itself but also optimise the performance and effi ciency of the entire system. Grundfos is witnessing a strong market trend where more pumps are being fi tted with VFDs and control units. The market for VFDs, including those applied with pumps, is witnessing a projected annual growth of around 6% in the coming years due to growing urbanization, industrialization and rising government mandates for energy effi ciency. Another growth driver is the need for manufacturers to optimise their manufacturing processes and cut operational costs, and even small reductions in speed and fl ow lead to signifi cant energy cost savings. E-motors offer increased functionality, making them easy to use in a wide-range of complex applications. These e-motors provide a range of benefi ts over standard motors such as: • The MGE e-motor provides superior energy effi ciency even beyond IE5 standard • IE5 motor losses is at least 30% lower than the IE3, this alone reduces the energy consumption by 10% with a typical pump load profi le • The pump, motor and frequency converter are perfectly matched for optimized pump effi ciency • Choosing the right control mode in MGE for the application can provide even more energy savings for the entire system of up to 75% compared to uncontrolled pumps. The Grundfos MGE e-motors are the most energy effi cient yet. These permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSM) are designed especially for frequency converter operations and optimised for pump applications and high part-load effi ciency. The motor PMSM also has a built-in frequency converter that enables variable-speed operation with benefi ts in pump applications ranging from energy savings, process control, extra functionalities, built-in motor protection, higher performance and more compact pumps, reduced water hammer due to long ramp times and low starting currents. This results in lower energy and lifecycle costs. Adjusting the speed of the pump based on demand, rather than throttling the system fl ow with a valve, also results in no excess pressure causing stress in the system and noise in the valve due to cavitation and reduced power consumption due to lower pump speed. Grundfos’ MGE e-Motors are currently utilised in a wide range of its pumps, including the multi stage pump ranges CRE, CME, MTRE the single stage pump ranges TPE, NBE, NKE and Booster systems that serve multiple applications. Since fi rst introduced in the 1990’s, these motors have raised industry standards. Combined with the digitalisation of pumps, these e-motors and pump solutions are changing the game for most industries, by enabling new opportunities that were not previously possible.Innovation. Sustainability. Excellence. WME is an independent multi-disciplinary consultancy providing engineering services for the built environment. Over 350 engineers globally, delivering innovative, cost-effective design solutions focussed on performance, economics & sustainability. Dubai | Abu Dhabi | London Bangalore | Mumbai | Singapore | Riyadh www.wmeglobal.com +971 4 388 1616 info@wmeglobal.com44 MEP Middle East | June 2021 www.mepmiddleeast.com DIGITALISATION EDGE CONTROLLERS play a vital role in the digital transformation of water operationsJune 2021 | MEP Middle East 45 www.mepmiddleeast.com DIGITALISATION Operators of water treatment and distribution facilities around the world are facing signifi cant challenges. Growing urbanisation is putting extra strain on existing infrastructure, which is often aging and subject to failure, thereby threatening the purity and availability of potable water. At traditional water treatment and distribution facilities, older automation system architectures cannot deliver the depth of data that is required to facilitate operational improvements. As freshwater sources decline because of saltwater intrusion and water tables fall, this has led to an upward trend in water recycling and advanced desalination projects, and here too greater data generation and visualisation are vital. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic affects workforce availability, remote operations capability, and response times to incidents and equipment issues. These challenges make the need for digital transformation in the industry more acute than ever. Consequently, a growing number of organisations are adopting a smart water philosophy and putting themselves on the path to digital transformation by using Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) technologies and services to optimise the effi ciencies of both their new as well as their existing operations. These technologies are enabling organisations to reduce water theft, water loss due to leakage, and energy consumption, and to move from calendar- scheduled or hours-scheduled maintenance to condition-based maintenance. For those considering adopting these tools to update their existing systems or install new ones, it is important that they follow an approach of incorporating IIoT- enabled capabilities with clearly defi ned business outcomes. An organisation’s roadmap towards digital transformation can start small – for example by addressing a key issue such as pump health at a single facility – and build from there. This can perhaps involve company- wide programmes across an area such as reliability or can even be as large as adopting an enterprise-wide strategy with a view to enabling true business transformation. Data generation and analysis To accomplish these goals, system designers and end-users must fi rst identify the input/output (I/O) points to be monitored, and then install instruments and sensors (preferably intelligent) to generate comprehensive process and diagnostic data. Once intelligent instrumentation is in place to generate the required data, organisations can then take another key step on their journey towards digital transformation by implementing the most suitable technology to gather the data for analysis. It has long been possible to put together instruments, programmable logic controllers (PLCs), I/O, networking, and computer software in order to gather data for analysis. Mayank Mehta, MEA Leader – Machine Automation Solutions, at Emerson Automation Solutions, explains how edge controllers are helping organisations implement smart water philosophies that help optimise operational performance46 MEP Middle East | June 2021 www.mepmiddleeast.com DIGITALISATION However, it is challenging to design, operate and maintain such conglomerations of parts and technologies, especially when considering the large geographic spread of many water operations. A better choice of data-gathering technology for water processing and distribution operations would be an industrial edge controller. Edge controllers Industrial edge controllers are robust devices, similar to PLCs and remote terminal units, which provide reliable control and enable IIoT-capable data communications even in extremely tough operating environments. Edge controllers can collect, store and analyse huge amounts of process data and provide actionable insights leading to improved decision-making. A key strength of edge controllers is that they provide two systems in one device, using hardware virtualisation to create a deterministic real-time controller in parallel with a general-purpose operating system such as Linux. The deterministic and general-purpose systems operate independently but in parallel and can securely communicate via OPC UA – the industry standard that ensures the open connectivity, interoperability, security, and reliability of industrial automation devices and systems. The deterministic system is used to directly monitor and control equipment via I/O in the same way as a powerful PLC. It can communicate with these sensors, instruments, and devices via leading operational technology (OT) communications protocols such as PROFINET, SRTP, Ethernet Global Data (EGD), and Modbus TCP/IP to gather all necessary fi elds data. The general-purpose system, on the other hand, is available to perform higher- level functions such as data processing, analysis, and visualisation. This part of the edge controller can run many applications and programming languages and supports modern protocols such as MQTT which is IT-centric, fi rewall- friendly, and consumes low bandwidth. The general-purpose system can host custom drivers for devices unsupported by the deterministic system, hence extending the control system’s ability to communicate with and control devices. Because edge controllers combine a deterministic system with a general- Mayank Mehta, MEA Leader – Machine Automation Solutions, Emerson Automation SolutionsJune 2021 | MEP Middle East 47 www.mepmiddleeast.com DIGITALISATION purpose system, they provide unique capabilities compared with assembling a system out of many other elements. The deterministic controller directly monitors and controls equipment, such as fl ow meters and valves, gathering data that is communicated to the onboard general- purpose system. The general-purpose system can then provide the data to higher- level systems and can also directly analyse the data to determine optimum operating values. In turn, the general-purpose system can inform the deterministic system of these values so that it can take appropriate action. Thus, the edge controller platform provides the combined ability to perform real-time process control with computing for optimisation and learning. This provides better connectivity and visibility for operations and management while taking the AI and machine learning (ML) layer closer to the fi eld. Benefi ts for water operations A smart water philosophy can prove extremely valuable, as illustrated by the following example. Typical rotating equipment, such as a water pump, can be driven by an intelligent variable frequency drive; controlled by a PLC with additional I/O for bearing temperatures; fi tted with a separate vibration monitoring system; and monitored by other ambient temperature sensors or power distribution systems. An edge controller can connect to each of these sources. It can gather and make available all the data generated, which can then be used to develop a linear regression model predicting the health index of the equipment. Many of these pumps across different locations can then be compared in context with each other, enabling organisations to learn their performance characteristics and failure modes. Translating all this raw data into useful information helps the operations team to schedule equipment maintenance and order spares on an as- needed basis, thereby reducing costs. This methodology can be applied to many forms of equipment. With water organisations facing multiple challenges in operating and managing their facilities, there is an acute need for the adoption of digital transformation strategies and smart water philosophies to optimise their operations. Edge controllers can play a vital role in supporting this. Generating and analysing the right data enables organisations to make better-informed decisions, which lead to signifi cant improvements such as better water quality, cleaner effl uent, reduced energy consumption, reduced operational costs, and maximised availability.48 MEP Middle East | June 2021 www.mepmiddleeast.com WATER HEATERS Energy effi ciency is becoming an increasingly common term while talking about domestic hot water production and directing it to users. The growing concern for the future of the environment and the desire to leave a green and healthy world to future generations is creating a shift in the demand from traditional technology towards making sustainable and renewable products. Modern technologies such as solar paneled systems and air-to-water heat pumps perfectly serve the purpose. They use a clean renewable energy source i.e. either sun or air, to heat the water, thus, providing maximum comfort while eliminating polluting emissions and protecting the environment. Ariston Thermo Group, a leading brand in thermal comfort, has been proposing alternative energy-effi cient solutions worldwide for many years. Its range of solar paneled systems – both natural and forced circulation – as well as air-to- water heat pumps, including mono-block and split versions, offer such alternative solutions. The aim is to offer end consumers hot water in an eco-friendly way. With its expertise and years of experience, Ariston Thermo Group has ensured sustainable growth by maximising usage of renewable sources of energy to offer consumers the end product. Sustainable and effi cient products, solutions and processes can make a signifi cant contribution to reducing energy consumption and environmental impact without sacrifi cing comfort. Ariston Thermo Group has estimated that replacing low-effi ciency products with the fi rm’s latest high-effi ciency technologies can curb carbon dioxide emissions by more than 3 million tonnes globally by 2022. This would be made possible by adopting products that feature state-of-the-art technology thereby using clean energy to its best potential. THE GREEN CANVAS The Head of Middle East, Turkey, and the Caucasus, at Ariston Thermo Group, Alberto Torner, sheds light on the need to consider the environmental impact of water heaters while offering solutions that bridge the gap between energy efficiency and comfort, borne out of research into heat pump technologyJune 2021 | MEP Middle East 49 www.mepmiddleeast.com WATER HEATERS What works to this region’s advantage is that it has unlimited renewable energy resources. As solar uptake increases – backed by projects such as the Mohammad Bin Rashid Solar Park – the energy mix shifts away from fossil fuels to renewable energy, with a specifi c focus on zero emissions. Impact of thermal comfort on the energy sector Heat generation for industrial and residential use — for both water heating and space heating — accounts for about half of total energy consumption globally, with only one-tenth generated from renewable sources, and during 2020, it rose even further because of the lockdowns around the world. For instance, because of the increased time spent at home, smart-working, and digital entertainment, electricity demand is forecast to rise by 1% compared to 2019 globally. In the Middle East, while a large part of the energy consumed is for cooling, water heating accounts for a signifi cant part of the electricity bill. Government authorities like Dubai Electric & Water Authority (DEWA) advocate purchase of solar powered water heaters. The UAE and other countries in the GCC face their own challenges of a growing population that has led to creation of policy documents like the UAE Energy Strategy 2050 which commits to increasing the contribution of clean energy in the energy mix to 50% from the current 25%. No challenge is too big … … to make the world a more comfortable place. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), heat accounts for more than half of the world’s fi nal energy consumption, with most of this being generated from fossil fuels. In industry and commerce, the demand for hot water and “The synergy between heat pumps and solar paneled systems has led to reduced overall energy consumption, making the best use of renewable energy sources, air, as well as solar”Next >