Optimization of industrial systems with water circuits

 Description

​​​​​​In a context of circular economy, industries have to find more efficient ways of managing water and resources. For efficient water and resource management, different aspects must be taken into account, all of which are interrelated, such as the water-energy nexus, economic costs, the potential for resource recovery, the possibilities of reuse or environmental impacts, among others. This makes selecting the optimal solution for water management in an industry not an easy task.

The industry faces two main challenges when trying to obtain these solutions in its industries:

• Obtain reliable information on the consumption and qualities of water at the different points of the water network and,

• Identify the best solution for the water management considering at the same time the quality of the water, the seasonality of productions, energy, costs and the possibility of recovering resources

 Integrated solutions for the management of water circuits in industry

The Water and Waste Group has its own methodology to optimize the design, operation and automatic control of industrial water and waste treatment facilities, as well as tools to propose integrated solutions for the management of water circuits in the industry.

This methodology is based on the following capacities:

• Measurement: Plug & Lean devices for collecting information on water quality, the flow of water circulating through the pipe, and the energy consumption of the different equipment.

• Modeling: Libraries of proprietary models of industrial processes and wastewater treatment for the simulation and joint optimization of industrial systems. In addition, computer tools and own methodology are available to dynamically simulate the physical-chemical quality of the different currents, as well as the costs associated with the operation. For this, mathematical models are tailored to the specific needs of each study.

• Information management: Design of advanced data managers to optimize the operation of the systems in terms of efficiency, sustainability, production and savings in operating and energy costs.

• Automatic control: Development and implementation of automatic controllers for urban and industrial water treatment plants, with a definition with the operator of the functional specifications of the control solution, and its subsequent adaptation and adjustment by simulation.

 Knowledge and expertise

The Water and Waste Group accumulates more than 20 years of experience in the mathematical modelling and simulation of biological and physical-chemical processes, as well as in the design and operation of pilot plants on a laboratory and industrial scale. Proof of this are the Aquafit4use and LIFE MCUBO projects, among others.